Mortality estimates and excess mortality in rheumatoid arthritis
Authors' conclusion
Mortality risk in this RA cohort accrues over time and is moderately increased at 20 years of follow-up.
Study context
- Population
- RA patients enrolled in the Australian Rheumatology Association Database (ARAD), diagnosed from 1995 onwards; 74% female, baseline median age 50 years (IQR 41–58)204 deaths
- Participants
- 1,895 patients
- Exposure
- RA cohort vs age-, gender- and calendar year-matched Australian population
- RAn = 1,895
- Outcome
- Long-term survival (SMR and relative survival)
- Follow-up
- 20 years
Methodological detailsregistry (ARAD), data linkage to Australian National Death Index, comparison with age-, gender- and calendar year-matched population mortality rates, standardized mortality ratio (SMR) and relative survival models
- Registry (ARAD)
- Data linkage to Australian National Death Index
- Comparison with age-, gender- and calendar year-matched population mortality rates
- SMR and relative survival models
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Mortality vs age-, gender- and calendar year-matched Australian population
SMR at 20 years
1.49
95% CI 1.30, 1.71
Relative survival at 20 years
94%
95% CI 91, 97
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Restricted mean survival time (RMST) at 20 years (life lost)
- Observed RMST
- 18.41 years
- Expected RMST
- 18.68 years
- Difference between observed and expected RMST
- 4 months
Cause-specific mortality (CS-SMR)
- Pneumonia CS-SMR
- 5.2 (95% CI 2.3, 10.3)
- ILD CS-SMR
- 7.6 (95% CI 3.0, 14.7)
- Coronary heart disease CS-SMR
- 0.82 (95% CI 0.42, 1.4)
- Neoplasms CS-SMR
- 1.2 (95% CI 0.89, 1.5)
- Respiratory conditions an important underlying cause of death in RA
Original publication
Mortality estimates and excess mortality in rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology (Oxford). Published 15 March 2023. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →