Men with rheumatoid arthritis were more than twice as likely to die over a seven-year period as their counterparts in the general population, researchers found.
During 2,314 patient-years of follow-up, there were 138 deaths, for a crude mortality rate of 5.9 deaths per 100 patient-years (95% CI 5 to 7), according to Ted R. Mikuls, MD, of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Omaha, and colleagues.
Compared with men in the larger U.S. population, the standardized mortality ratio was 2.1 (95% CI 1.8 to 2.5), the investigators reported in the January issue of Rheumatology.
Most studies of mortality in rheumatoid arthritis have focused on women, primarily because there are far more women with the disease than men. Yet the few available data suggest that mortality may be greater in men.
To explore this, Mikuls and colleagues analyzed data for 1,015 men enrolled in the VA rheumatoid arthritis (VARA) registry between 2002 and 2009.
Mean age at enrollment was 65, and mean disease duration was 12 years. Most patients were white.
Rheumatoid factor was positive in 81%, and anti-cyclic citrullinated protein antibody was positive in 76%.
More than 20% of patients in the registry had comorbidities including diabetes, COPD, and cardiovascular disease, and more than 80% were current or past smokers.