Cardiovascular mortality in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 500 men and 500 women, aged 40 years and over, together with a control population matched by age and sex were followed up with respect to cause-specific mortality over a 10-year period. The overall mortality was significantly higher in both men and women with RA than in the controls. A statistically significant increase in mortality from all cardiovascular diseases (p less than 0.001) and cardiac diseases (p = 0.004) was observed in men with RA but not in women with RA compared to corresponding controls. No difference in mortality from cerebrovascular diseases was observed between RA patients and controls.
Mutru
O
O
Department of Medicine, Kuopio University Central Hospital, Finland.
Laakso
M
M
Isomäki
H
H
Koota
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000401:mortality*; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000401:mortality; D010493:Pericarditis / Q000401:mortality