title: Two cases of cervical abscess in rheumatoid arthritis patients.
abstract: The prognosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has recently been improved, resulting in longer survival of patients. The incidence of oral diseases increases with age, particularly for periodontal disease and those involving tooth decay, even in normal healthy individuals. Patients with RA display increased incidence of oral diseases, and the use of steroids or methotrexate to treat RA increases susceptibility to infections, sometimes causing serious infections. We present here two cases of cervical abscesses in RA patients who underwent emergency surgery to treat oral infections due to the possibility of mediastinal inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Center for Rheumatic Disease, Kurume University Medical Center, 155-1 Kokubumachi, Kurume, 839-0863, Japan. mkaji@ktarn.or.jp
authors.forename: Masahide
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaji
authors.forename: Shinjiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaieda
authors.forename: Katsuichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Ryusuke
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ayukawa
authors.forename: Takaaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Kazuyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: Hisamichi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aizawa