Long-term outcomes in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Review of data from the ‘Basildon Inflammatory Arthritis Cohort’

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to determine outcomes in RA with long-term analysis of a real-world inception cohort. METHODS: We carried out a retrospective cohort analysis of 184 patients with a new diagnosis of RA (ACR/EULAR 2010 criteria) between 2009 and 2013. Measured parameters included patient demographics, serological markers, disease activity (DAS28-CRP), treatment regimen, development of new co-morbidities and all-cause mortality. RESULTS: Complete data were available for analysis in 171 patients, 60 men and 111 women, with a median age of 57 years and median follow-up time of 7.5 years. DAS-28 remission was achieved in 73%, with the majority continuing to require pharmacological therapy. Drug-free remission was achieved in 11.7%, whereas 3.5% remained refractory to treatment. Analysis of new co-morbidities revealed malignancy in 12.9% (n = 22), with lung cancer having the highest incidence (n = 9). Cardiovascular, pulmonary and cerebrovascular disease developed in 11.1% (n = 19), 5.8% (n = 10) and 5.3% (n = 9), respectively. The crude mortality rate was 19.3% (33 of 171), incidence mortality rate 174 per 10 000 person-years of follow-up and standardized mortality ratio 1.57 (95% CI 1.10, 2.17). More deaths were recorded from underlying malignancy [7.6% (n = 13)] than with cardiovascular disease [4.7% (n = 8)]. The majority of deaths occurred ≥5 years after initial diagnosis (67%). CONCLUSION: Long-term analysis reveals that mortality in RA remains significantly elevated compared with the general population. Additionally, this real-world study underlines malignancy as the predominant cause of morbidity and mortality in RA.