PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - G Slobodin
AU  - A Hussein
AU  - M Rozenbaum
AU  - I Rosner
TI  - The emergency room in systemic rheumatic diseases
AID  - 10.1136/emj.2005.033233
DP  - 2006 Sep 01
TA  - Emergency Medicine Journal
PG  - 667--671
VI  - 23
IP  - 9
4099  - http://emj.bmj.com/content/23/9/667.short
4100  - http://emj.bmj.com/content/23/9/667.full
SO  - Emerg Med J2006 Sep 01; 23
AB  - Complications of systemic rheumatic diseases frequently have protean manifestations and may present a diagnostic problem. Patients with connective tissue diseases and vasculitides may have dangerous or life threatening conditions, which must be recognised and treated promptly to prevent rapidly evolving morbidity and mortality. Knowledge of possible emergencies in the context of a defined rheumatic disease may aid in promoting a high index of suspicion and contribute significantly to the timely diagnosis of many potentially dangerous conditions. This review is written for the emergency room physician and discusses the early recognition of selected emergencies in the context of a defined rheumatic disease.