Skip to main content
PMC home page
British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Ed.) logoLink to British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Ed.)
. 1985 Jun 15;290(6484):1797–1799. doi: 10.1136/bmj.290.6484.1797

Ten year mortality and causes of death in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

O Mutru, M Laakso, H Isomäki, K Koota
PMCID: PMC1415924  PMID: 3924262

Abstract

Five hundred men and 500 women, aged 40 or over, with rheumatoid arthritis, together with a control population matched for age and sex, were observed over 10 years. During that time 352 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (208 men, 144 women) and 221 controls (148 men, 73 women) died. The overall mortality was significantly higher (p less than 0.0001) in both men and women with rheumatoid arthritis than in the controls. Infections and cardiovascular and renal diseases (especially amyloidosis) appeared to be the main causes of death in rheumatoid arthritis.

Full text

PDF
1798

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Abruzzo J. L. Rheumatoid arthritis and mortality. Arthritis Rheum. 1982 Aug;25(8):1020–1023. doi: 10.1002/art.1780250819. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Allebeck P., Ahlbom A., Allander E. Increased mortality among persons with rheumatoid arthritis, but where RA does not appear on death certificate. Eleven-year follow-up of an epidemiological study. Scand J Rheumatol. 1981;10(4):301–306. doi: 10.3109/03009748109095320. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Allebeck P. Increased mortality in rheumatoid arthritis. Scand J Rheumatol. 1982;11(2):81–86. doi: 10.3109/03009748209098167. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Bacon P. A., Tribe C. R., Mackenzie J. C., Verrier-Jones J., Cumming R. H., Amer B. Penicillamine nephropathy in rheumatoid arthritis. A clinical, pathological and immunological study. Q J Med. 1976 Oct;45(180):661–684. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Baum J. Infection in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 1971 Jan-Feb;14(1):135–137. doi: 10.1002/art.1780140119. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Bolan J. C. Thromboembolic complications of pregnancy. Clin Obstet Gynecol. 1983 Dec;26(4):913–922. doi: 10.1097/00003081-198312000-00014. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Bull G. M., Brozovic M., Chakrabarti R., Meade T. W., Morton J., North W. R., Stirling Y. Relationship of air temperature to various chemical, haematological, and haemostatic variables. J Clin Pathol. 1979 Jan;32(1):16–20. doi: 10.1136/jcp.32.1.16. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. COBB S., ANDERSON F., BAUER W. Length of life and cause of death in rheumatoid arthritis. N Engl J Med. 1953 Oct 1;249(14):553–556. doi: 10.1056/NEJM195310012491402. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Cosh J. A. Survival and death in rheumatoid arthritis. J Rheumatol. 1984 Apr;11(2):117–119. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Czaplicki S., Gietka J., Sułek K. The frequency of coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Cor Vasa. 1978;20(4):249–254. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. DUTHIE J. J., BROWN P. E., TRUELOVE L. H., BARAGAR F. D., LAWRIE A. J. COURSE AND PROGNOSIS IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. A FURTHER REPORT. Ann Rheum Dis. 1964 May;23:193–204. doi: 10.1136/ard.23.3.193. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Davis R. F., Engleman E. G. Incidence of myocardial infarction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 1974 Sep-Oct;17(5):527–533. doi: 10.1002/art.1780170506. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Fraser I., Askew A., Biles J., Pinchin J. Prospective randomised trial of early postoperative bathing. Br Med J. 1976 Jun 19;1(6024):1506–1507. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.6024.1506-a. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Galbraith N. S., Forbes P., Mayon-White R. T. Changing patterns of communicable disease in England and Wales: part II-Disappearing and declining diseases. Br Med J. 1980 Aug 16;281(6238):489–492. doi: 10.1136/bmj.281.6238.489. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Hordon L. D., Sellars L., Morley A. R., Wilkinson R., Thompson M., Griffiths I. D. Haematuria in rheumatoid arthritis: an association with mesangial glomerulonephritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 1984 Jun;43(3):440–443. doi: 10.1136/ard.43.3.440. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Isomäki H. A., Hakulinen T., Joutsenlahti U. Excess risk of lymphomas, leukemia and myeloma in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. J Chronic Dis. 1978;31(11):691–696. doi: 10.1016/0021-9681(78)90071-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Isomäki H. A., Mutru O., Koota K. Death rate and causes of death in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Scand J Rheumatol. 1975;4(4):205–208. doi: 10.3109/03009747509165257. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Kimberly R. P., Plotz P. H. Aspirin-induced depression of renal function. N Engl J Med. 1977 Feb 24;296(8):418–424. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197702242960803. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Koota K., Isomäki H., Mutru O. Death rate and causes of death in RA patients during a period of five years. Scand J Rheumatol. 1977;6(4):241–244. doi: 10.3109/03009747709095458. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Lee E. T., Desu M. M. A computer program for comparing K samples with right-censored data. Comput Programs Biomed. 1972 Nov;2(4):315–321. doi: 10.1016/0010-468x(72)90019-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Lewis P., Hazleman B. L., Hanka R., Roberts S. Cause of death in patients with rheumatoid arthritis with particular reference to azathioprine. Ann Rheum Dis. 1980 Oct;39(5):457–461. doi: 10.1136/ard.39.5.457. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Linos A., Worthington J. W., O'Fallon W. M., Kurland L. T. The epidemiology of rheumatoid arthritis in Rochester, Minnesota: a study of incidence, prevalence, and mortality. Am J Epidemiol. 1980 Jan;111(1):87–98. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112878. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Moesmann G. Malignancy and mortality in subacute rheumatoid arthritis in old age. Acta Rheumatol Scand. 1969;15(3):193–199. doi: 10.3109/rhe1.1969.15.issue-1-4.28. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Monson R. R., Hall A. P. Mortality among arthritics. J Chronic Dis. 1976 Jul;29(7):459–467. doi: 10.1016/0021-9681(76)90086-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Mutru O., Koota K., Isomäki H. Causes of death in autopsied RA patients. Scand J Rheumatol. 1976;5(4):239–240. doi: 10.3109/03009747609099912. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Prior P., Symmons D. P., Hawkins C. F., Scott D. L., Brown R. Cancer morbidity in rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 1984 Apr;43(2):128–131. doi: 10.1136/ard.43.2.128. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Rasker J. J., Cosh J. A. Cause and age at death in a prospective study of 100 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 1981 Apr;40(2):115–120. doi: 10.1136/ard.40.2.115. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Uddin J., Kraus A. S., Kelly H. G. Survivorship and death in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 1970 Mar-Apr;13(2):125–130. doi: 10.1002/art.1780130204. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Vaamonde C. A., Hunt F. R. The nephrotic syndrome as a complication of gold therapy. Arthritis Rheum. 1970 Nov-Dec;13(6):826–834. doi: 10.1002/art.1780130612. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Vandenbroucke J. P., Hazevoet H. M., Cats A. Survival and cause of death in rheumatoid arthritis: a 25-year prospective followup. J Rheumatol. 1984 Apr;11(2):158–161. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Medical Journal (Clinical research ed.) are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES