Long-term mortality in treated-to-target rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and undifferentiated arthritis (UA): results of the BeSt and IMPROVED cohort
Authors' conclusion
After long-term treatment-to-target, excess mortality occurred in patients with RA after>10 years since treatment start, with smoking as an important risk factor.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with early RA or UA in the BeSt and IMPROVED treat-to-target trials; vital status assessed up to 31 December 2021
- Participants
- 508 vs 610
- Comparison
- BeSt vs IMPROVED
- BeStn = 508
- IMPROVEDn = 610
- Primary endpoint
- Long-term mortality (SMR)
- Follow-up
- Up to 20 years
Methodological detailsstandardised mortality ratios, stratified analyses for anticitrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) and smoking status
- Standardised mortality ratios
- Stratified analyses for ACPA and smoking status
Primary result
As reported in the abstract
All-cause mortality, SMR
BeSt
1.32
95% CI 1.14–1.53
IMPROVED
1.33
95% CI 1.10–1.63
Further findings
Mean survival time shorter than expected
| Outcome | BeSt | IMPROVED |
|---|---|---|
| Mortality in ACPA+ patients who smoked, SMR (subgroup) | 2.80 (95% CI 2.16–3.64) | 2.14 (95% CI 1.33–3.45) |
| Mortality per 1 point increase in mean DAS during the trial | ||
| HR | 1.34 | 1.13 |
Cause of death
- The main cause of death was malignancy
Original publication
Long-term mortality in treated-to-target RA and UA: results of the BeSt and IMPROVED cohort. Ann Rheum Dis. Published 11 January 2024. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →