Chen SK, et al. - Using US Medicaid data from 2007–2010, 37,902 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or 76,657 diabetes mellitus (DM) were recruited in a matched cohort with 158,695 patients from the general Medicaid population to evaluate the rates and risks for heart failure (HF) hospitalization in US Medicaid patients with SLE vs those for DM and the general Medicaid population. Incidence rates (IR), incidence rate ratios (IRR) and adjusted hazard ratios (HR) of an initial HF hospitalization were calculated. For SLE, for DM, and for general Medicaid subjects, the IR per 1000-person-years was 6.9, 6.6, and 1.6, respectively. In comparison to general Medicaid, the greatest IRR was observed in SLE patients in the age group 18–39. Compared to the general Medicaid population, multivariable-adjusted HRs for HF were comparable for SLE and DM. Therefore, among SLE patients, the incidence of HF was 2.7 times greater vs general Medicaid patients and was comparable to DM.