The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 News
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Ankylosing Spondylitis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
      • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / Mortality Rates Improve for Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Mortality Rates Improve for Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

October 1, 2014 • By Mary Beth Nierengarten

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF
Research shows that patients with RA are living longer.
Research shows that patients with RA are living longer.

Although current research shows that mortality rates remain higher in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) compared with people without RA, emerging research suggests that survival is improving.

You Might Also Like
  • Systemic Sclerosis Mortality Rate May Be Underestimated
  • The ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: Rheumatoid Arthritis Raises Mortality Risk in Women
  • Kidney Problems More Prevalent in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis
Explore This Issue
October 2014
Also By This Author
  • Study Suggests Tocilizumab Monotherapy May Work for Some RA Patients

Recent data from a study presented at the British Society of Rheumatology (BSR) meeting showed a dramatic increase in life expectancy in patients with RA over the past 25 years in the United Kingdom.1

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

According to lead author of the study, Sam Norton, PhD, Psychology Department, Institute of Psychiatry King’s College London, U.K., who presented the findings at the April meeting, the study found that the life expectancy for people with RA in the U.K. has increased by about 10 years over the past 25 years, similar to that seen in the general population.

Importantly, preliminary evidence suggested a reduction in excess mortality risk seen in people with RA. The study found a 27% decrease in excess all-cause mortality over 25 years, mainly seen in patients younger than 55 years old, largely driven by reductions in excess mortality due to cardiovascular morbidity.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

“These findings are preliminary, and we have no clear answer for what might account for this increase in life expectancy,” he emphasizes. “We are in the process of examining whether the dramatic increase in life expectancy is due to changes in a particular cause of death, such as cardiovascular disease.”

Drilling Down

The study used outcomes data from two prospective observational cohort studies of patients not treated by disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) at the time of study enrollment: the Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Study (ERAS), which recruited 1,460 patients between 1986 and 1998, and the Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Network (ERAN), which recruited 1,252 patients between 2002 and 2012.

The study found a significant association between the year of symptom onset and risk of all-cause mortality risk, with a hazard ratio of 0.96 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.95–0.98). This represented a 3.5% reduction in the relative hazard of death from any cause per year, and translated to an increasing median age at death from 76.7 years in 1986 to 86.7 years in 2012.

ad goes here:advert-3
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Early, aggressive treatment helps RA patients beat the odds of early mortality.
Early, aggressive treatment helps RA patients beat the odds of early mortality.

The study also found that the excess morality risk in patients with RA reduced over time compared with the general population, with all-cause standardized mortality ratio (SMR) significantly increased in the ERAS cohort (SMR = 0.94; 95% CI, 1.20–1.39). No significant increase was seen in the ERAN cohort (SMR = 0.94; 95% CI, 0.78–1.13).

Pages: 1 2 3 | Single Page

Filed Under: Conditions, DMARDs & Immunosuppressives, Drug Updates, Rheumatoid Arthritis Tagged With: mortality rate, Nierengarten, Pain, patient care, Research, Rheumatoid arthritis, survival, TreatmentIssue: October 2014

You Might Also Like:
  • Systemic Sclerosis Mortality Rate May Be Underestimated
  • The ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: Rheumatoid Arthritis Raises Mortality Risk in Women
  • Kidney Problems More Prevalent in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Will New Rheumatoid Arthritis Blood Test Improve Early Diagnosis?

Rheumatology Research Foundation

The Foundation is the largest private funding source for rheumatology research and training in the U.S.

Learn more »

ACR Convergence

Don’t miss rheumatology’s premier scientific meeting for anyone involved in research or the delivery of rheumatologic care or services.

Visit the ACR Convergence site »

Simple Tasks

Learn more about the ACR’s public awareness campaign and how you can get involved. Help increase visibility of rheumatic diseases and decrease the number of people left untreated.

Visit the Simple Tasks site »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2021 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.