Mortality in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), compared with the general population, improved over time, according to a recent study. Increased mortality in the first 5 years was observed in people with RA onset before, but not after, 2000, it was found. Researchers conducted a population-based cohort study, using administrative health data of all incident RA cases who first met RA criteria between January 1996 and December 2006, with general population controls matched 1:1 on gender, birth, and index years. They found:

• 24,914 RA cases and controls experienced 2,747 and 2,332 mortalities, respectively.
• Mortality risk in RA vs controls differed across incident cohorts for all-cause, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and cancer mortality.
• A significant increase in mortality in RA vs controls was observed in earlier, but not later, cohorts (all-cause mortality adjusted 1.40 [1.30 to 1.51] and 0.97 [0.89 to 1.05], respectively).