Ann Rheum Dis 1999;58:11-14 ( January )

Extended reports

Mortality in rheumatoid arthritis patients with disease onset in the 1980s Elisabet Lindqvist, Kerstin Eberhardt

Department of Rheumatology, Lund University Hospital, S-221 85 Lund, Sweden

Correspondence to: Dr Lindqvist.

Accepted for publication 2 October 1998

OBJECTIVESeveral previous studies have shown increased mortality in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. This study investigated if this was true also for patients with disease onset in the 1980s.
PATIENTS AND METHODSThe study group comprised 183 patients (67 men and 116 women) with definite RA participating in an ongoing prospective study. Mean age at onset of disease was 51 years, and mean duration of joint symptoms at inclusion was 11 months. The patients were included between 1985-89. Seventy five per cent of the patients were rheumatoid factor (RF) positive, 85% carried the shared epitope, and 90% became erosive. By 1 September 1997 the number and causes of death, obtained from the death certificates, were recorded. Standardised mortality ratio (SMR) was calculated, comparing the observed number of deaths in the cohort with the expected number of deaths in the general population in the same area, age and sex matched. The predictive values of demographics, genotype, RF status, and clinical data at baseline were estimated using the Cox proportional hazards regression model.
RESULTSEighteen patients (11 men and 7 women) had died compared with 20 expected deaths. SMR with 95% confidence intervals was 87 (53, 136). There was no significant increase in the number of deaths at any time during follow up for either sex. RA was not the main cause of death in any of the cases. By reading the patient charts two cases were found where RA or its treatment could have contributed to death. No RA related variable contributed significantly to an increased risk of death.
CONCLUSIONThere was no increased mortality during the first 8-13 years of disease in this group of patients who developed RA in the 1980s.

Keywords: rheumatoid arthritis; mortality; causes of death; prognosis

---

© 1999 by Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Book, C., Algulin, J., Nilsson, J.-A., Saxne, T., Jacobsson, L. (2009). Bone mineral density in the hand as a predictor for mortality in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology (Oxford) 0: kep169v2-kep169 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Konnopka, A, Conrad, K, Baerwald, C, Konig, H-H (2008). Cost effectiveness of the determination of autoantibodies against cyclic citrullinated peptide in the early diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis 67: 1399-1405 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Mathieu, S., Joly, H., Baron, G., Tournadre, A., Dubost, J.-J., Ristori, J.-M., Lusson, J.-R., Soubrier, M. (2008). Trend towards increased arterial stiffness or intima-media thickness in ankylosing spondylitis patients without clinically evident cardiovascular disease. Rheumatology (Oxford) 47: 1203-1207 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Carmona, L., Descalzo, M. A., Perez-Pampin, E., Ruiz-Montesinos, D., Erra, A., Cobo, T., Gomez-Reino, J. J, on behalf of the BIOBADASER and EMECAR Groups, (2007). All-cause and cause-specific mortality in rheumatoid arthritis are not greater than expected when treated with tumour necrosis factor antagonists. Ann Rheum Dis 66: 880-885 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• van Halm, V P, Nielen, M M J, Nurmohamed, M T, van Schaardenburg, D, Reesink, H W, Voskuyl, A E, Twisk, J W R, van de Stadt, R J, de Koning, M H M T, Habibuw, M R, van der Horst-Bruinsma, I E, Dijkmans, B A C (2007). Lipids and inflammation: serial measurements of the lipid profile of blood donors who later developed rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis 66: 184-188 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Goodson, N, Marks, J, Lunt, M, Symmons, D (2005). Cardiovascular admissions and mortality in an inception cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis with onset in the 1980s and 1990s. Ann Rheum Dis 64: 1595-1601 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Hakoda, M, Oiwa, H, Kasagi, F, Masunari, N, Yamada, M, Suzuki, G, Fujiwara, S (2005). Mortality of rheumatoid arthritis in Japan: a longitudinal cohort study. Ann Rheum Dis 64: 1451-1455 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Kobelt, G., Lindgren, P., Lindroth, Y., Jacobson, L., Eberhardt, K. (2005). Modelling the effect of function and disease activity on costs and quality of life in rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology (Oxford) 44: 1169-1175 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Kobelt, G, Lindgren, P, Singh, A, Klareskog, L (2005). Cost effectiveness of etanercept (Enbrel) in combination with methotrexate in the treatment of active rheumatoid arthritis based on the TEMPO trial. Ann Rheum Dis 64: 1174-1179 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Lindqvist, E, Eberhardt, K, Bendtzen, K, Heinegard, D, Saxne, T (2005). Prognostic laboratory markers of joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis 64: 196-201 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Krishnan, E., Lingala, V. B., Singh, G. (2004). Declines in Mortality From Acute Myocardial Infarction in Successive Incidence and Birth Cohorts of Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis. Circulation 110: 1774-1779 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Turesson, C, Jarenros, A, Jacobsson, L (2004). Increased incidence of cardiovascular disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: results from a community based study. Ann Rheum Dis 63: 952-955 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Kitas, G. D., Erb, N. (2003). Tackling ischaemic heart disease in rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology (Oxford) 42: 607-613 [Full Text]  
• Kobelt, G., Jonsson, L., Young, A., Eberhardt, K. (2003). The cost-effectiveness of infliximab (Remicade(R)) in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in Sweden and the United Kingdom based on the ATTRACT study. Rheumatology (Oxford) 42: 326-335 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Lindqvist, E, Saxne, T, Geborek, P, Eberhardt, K (2002). Ten year outcome in a cohort of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis: health status, disease process, and damage. Ann Rheum Dis 61: 1055-1059 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Goodson, N, Symmons, D (2002). Rheumatoid arthritis in women: still associated with an increased mortality. Ann Rheum Dis 61: 955-956 [Full Text]  
• Mikuls, T R, Saag, K G, Criswell, L A, Merlino, L A, Kaslow, R A, Shelton, B J, Cerhan, J R (2002). Mortality risk associated with rheumatoid arthritis in a prospective cohort of older women: results from the Iowa Women's Health Study. Ann Rheum Dis 61: 994-999 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Peltomaa, R, Paimela, L, Kautiainen, H, Leirisalo-Repo, M (2002). Mortality in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated actively from the time of diagnosis. Ann Rheum Dis 61: 889-894 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• van Asselt, K M, Lems, W F, Bongartz, E B, Hamburger, H L, Drossaers-Bakker, K W, Dijkmans, B A C, van Soesbergen, R M (2001). Outcome of cervical spine surgery in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis 60: 448-452 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Albers, J M C, Paimela, L, Kurki, P, Eberhardt, K B, Emery, P, van `t Hof, M A, Schreuder, F H J M, Leirisalo-Repo, M, van Riel, P L C M (2001). Treatment strategy, disease activity, and outcome in four cohorts of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis 60: 453-458 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Kroot, E J A, van Leeuwen, M A, van Rijswijk, M H, Prevoo, M L L, Van 't Hof, M A, van de Putte, L B A, van Riel, P L C M (2000). No increased mortality in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: up to 10 years of follow up from disease onset. Ann Rheum Dis 59: 954-958 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• FRIES, J. F, BLOCH;, D. A, LINDQVIST, E., EBERHARDT, K. (1999). Mortality in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Ann Rheum Dis 58: 723a-723 [Full Text]