Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Multicenter Study
. 1994 Apr;37(4):481-94.
doi: 10.1002/art.1780370408.

The mortality of rheumatoid arthritis

F Wolfe  1 , D M Mitchell, J T Sibley, J F Fries, D A Bloch, C A Williams, P W Spitz, M Haga, S M Kleinheksel, M A Cathey
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

The mortality of rheumatoid arthritis

F Wolfe et al. Arthritis Rheum. 1994 Apr.

Abstract

Objective: To determine the risk and causes of death and to quantify mortality predictors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: RA patients (n = 3,501) from 4 centers (Saskatoon n = 905, Wichita n = 1,405, Stanford n = 886, and Santa Clara n = 305) were followed for up to 35 years; 922 patients died.

Results: The overall standardized mortality ratio (SMR) was 2.26 (Saskatoon 2.24, Wichita 1.98, Stanford 3.08, Santa Clara 2.18) and increased with time. Mortality was strikingly increased for specific causes: infection, lymphoproliferative malignancy, gastroenterologic, and RA. In addition, as an effect of the SMR of 2.26, the expected number of deaths was increased nonspecifically across all causes (except cancer), with a large excess of deaths attributable to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Independent predictors of mortality included age, education, male sex, function, rheumatoid factor, nodules, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, joint count, and prednisone use.

Conclusion: Mortality rates are increased at least 2-fold in RA, and are linked to clinical severity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources