Cause of death in 81 autopsied patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the cause of death and complications in a series of autopsied patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).


METHODS
A clinicopathological study of 81 autopsied patients with RA was performed.


RESULTS
In order of frequency, the causes of death were infection (23.5%), heart disease (17.3%), respiratory failure (9.9%), renal failure (9.9%), and gastrointestinal disease (9.9%). Observed complications of RA were systemic angiitis in 25 cases (30.8%), systemic amyloidosis in 17 cases (21.0%), and pulmonary fibrosis in 28 cases (34.6%). No patient had both angiitis and amyloidosis simultaneously. The prevalence of systemic angiitis tended to decrease during the study period (1960-1990), while systemic amyloidosis tended to increase.


CONCLUSIONS
The cause of death in RA is difficult to analyze accurately because RA itself is a chronic systemic inflammation disease.
Suzuki
A
A
Department of Internal Medicine, Kawasaki Municipal Hospital, Japan.
Ohosone
Y
Y
Obana
M
M
Mita
S
S
Matsuoka
Y
Y
Irimajiri
S
S
Fukuda
J
J
D000368:Aged; D000686:Amyloidosis / Q000150:complications; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality*; D001344:Autopsy; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000150:complications; D014657:Vasculitis / Q000150:complications