An analysis of rheumatology cases presenting to the emergency room of a teaching hospital.

We surveyed diagnoses on 5592 consecutive new cases presenting to a general hospital emergency room. The number of cases that could be judged "rheumatic" were analyzed further to determine the spectrum of rheumatologic problems that were seen in this facility. Four hundred eighty-three cases were studied. Precise diagnosis frequently could not be determined, but the largest group was soft tissue rheumatism. A wide variety of "rheumatologic" cases were seen initially in the emergency room. The clinical disposition and followup on these patients was also determined.