Reduced incidence of alcohol related deaths in subjects with rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVES It has previously been shown that people with ankylosing spondylitis have an increased incidence of alcohol related deaths from accidents and violence. This study investigated alcohol related deaths in subjects with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS The study covered the subjects, 1666 i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of the rheumatic diseases 2000-01, Vol.59 (1), p.75-76, Article 75
Main Authors: Myllykangas-Luosujärvi, Riitta, Aho, Kimmo, Kautiainen, Hannu, Hakala, Markku
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Age Distribution
Aged
alcohol
Alcoholism
Alcoholism - complications
Alcoholism - mortality
Arthritis, Rheumatoid - complications
Arthritis, Rheumatoid - mortality
Biological and medical sciences
Cardiomyopathy
Cause of Death
Chronic illnesses
Concise Report
death
Diseases of the osteoarticular system
Drunkenness
Epilepsy
Female
Finland - epidemiology
Humans
Inflammatory joint diseases
Intoxication
Liver cirrhosis
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Mortality
Population
Reimbursement
Rheumatoid arthritis
Violence
Womens health
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Summary:OBJECTIVES It has previously been shown that people with ankylosing spondylitis have an increased incidence of alcohol related deaths from accidents and violence. This study investigated alcohol related deaths in subjects with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS The study covered the subjects, 1666 in number, who had died in 1989 and had been entitled under the nationwide sickness insurance scheme to receive specially reimbursed medication for RA. RESULTS There were eight alcohol related deaths among the 480 men and three deaths among the 1186 women with RA. The standardised mortality ratios and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were 0.40 (95% CI 0.20, 0.80) and 0.40 (95% CI 0.13, 1.26), respectively. CONCLUSION Alcohol either protects from RA or, subjects with RA curtail their drinking after the manifestation of RA.
ISSN:0003-4967
1468-2060
DOI:10.1136/ard.59.1.75