TY - JOUR T1 - No increased mortality in incident cases of rheumatoid arthritis during the new millennium JF - Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases JO - Ann Rheum Dis SP - 2057 LP - 2058 DO - 10.1136/ard.2009.125492 VL - 69 IS - 11 AU - K Puolakka AU - H Kautiainen AU - T Pohjolainen AU - L Virta Y1 - 2010/11/01 UR - http://ard.bmj.com/content/69/11/2057.abstract N2 - Ample evidence shows that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with a shortened life expectancy, with indicators of severe disease and rheumatoid factor (RF) as risk factors.1,–,3 Early and aggressive treatment strategies over the past decade have resulted in more favourable functional and radiological outcomes, probably also having an impact on mortality. Methotrexate treatment has been associated with decreased preterm deaths.4 Some studies have found no difference in mortality between patients and the general population.5 6To examine the present status in Finland, we used the national registry of the Social Insurance Institution, covering all residents, to identify all incident cases of RA with an index day between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2007. The case definition was eligibility—for the first time during the lifetime—for special … ER -