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Rheumatoid Arthritis & Life Expectancy

Despite the fact that science has dramatically improved the quality of life for people with rheumatoid arthritis, the mortality rate for RA patients has not improved, as it has with the general public.

  1. Statistics

    • The death rate (total number of deaths per 1,000 people) for rheumatoid arthritis patients is about 38 percent higher than that of the general population.

    Lifespan

    • Despite the fact that developing medical technology has led to longer life spans for the average person, Glutafree.co.uk cites a study by The Center for Disease Control and Prevention that says that rheumatoid arthritis sufferers are still suffer a mortality ratio of 2.26, which is twice as high as average.

    Specialist

    • A study by The Mayo Clinic showed a trend of increased mortality rates for patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis over a 40 year span, according Wiley Inter Science.

    Infections

    • As many as 25 percent of RA related deaths are a result of infections.

    Reasons for RA Mortality

    • The New York Times has reported that a rheumatoid arthritis patient's life expectancy could be up to 15 years shorter than the average person and that half of RA deaths are a result of heart issues.

      Other issues that cause a shorter lifespan for RA patients include systemic organ involvement and infection.

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