CAUSE OF DEATH IN 81 AUTOPSIED PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS

Objective. To evaluate the cause of death and complications in a serie s of autopsied patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods. A cli nicopathological study of 81 autopsied patients with RA was performed. Results. In order of frequency, the causes of death were infection (2 3.5%), heart disease (17.3%), respiratory failure (9.9%), renal failur e (9.9%), and gastrointestinaI 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 p atient had both angiitis and amyloidosis simultaneously. The prevalenc e of systemic angiitis tended to decrease during the study period (196 0-1990), while systemic amyloidosis tended to increase. Conclusion. Th e cause of death in RA is difficult to analyze accurately because RA i tself is a chronic systemic inflammation disease.