title: Role of amyloidosis in determining the prognosis of dialyzed patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: The role of secondary amyloidosis in determining the prognosis of dialyzed patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was examined in 22 patients with a mean age of 60.1 years included 21 renal amyloidosis. RA duration until the start of dialysis was 19.5 +/- 7.2 years and the observation period after introduction 27.1 +/- 26.4 months. Of the 14 dead cases, four died due to sepsis, three due to gastrointestinal tract bleeding, two due to congestive heart failure, and eight cases died within 5 months after starting dialysis. When comparing the eight survivors and the nine non-survivors who died within 2 years after the start of dialysis, the former patients showed significantly higher serum albumin, and lower electrocardiogram score and cardiothoracic ratios at the time of introduction to dialysis. The careful prevention and treatment of infection, cerebrovascular and/or gastrointestinal tract complications seem to be necessary to improve the prognosis of RA patients after the initiation of renal replacement therapy.
authors.affiliation: The Division of Nephrology and Rheumatology, Clinical Research Institute, National Kyushu Medical Center, Fukuoka, Japan. sunny@m3.dion.ne.jp
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sanai
authors.forename: Fumio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nanishi
authors.forename: Masatoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagata
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.forename: Eiichi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Suematsu
authors.forename: Yukio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Esaki
authors.forename: Hisaaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miyahara
authors.forename: Mitsuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iida
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000686:Amyloidosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010531:Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis