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Paediatric Rheumatology

 

The mortality rate and causes of death among juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients in Finland

1, 2, 3, 4

 

  1. Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Research Centre, University of Oulu and Oulu University Hospital; and PEDEGO Research Unit, University of Oulu, Finland. mikyllon@student.oulu.fi
  2. Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki, Finland.
  3. Department of Medicine, South Karelia Central Hospital, Lappeenranta, Finland.
  4. Department of Children and Adolescents, Oulu University Hospital; Medical Research Centre, University of Oulu and Oulu University Hospital; and PEDEGO Research Unit, University of Oulu, Finland.

CER11444
2019 Vol.37, N°3
PI 0508, PF 0511
Paediatric Rheumatology

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PMID: 30767877 [PubMed]

Received: 05/06/2018
Accepted : 17/12/2018
In Press: 11/02/2019
Published: 10/05/2019

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:
To explore mortality rates and causes of death in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients in Finland compared with the general population.
METHODS:
All incident patients with JIA (age <16 years at the index day) during 2000-2014 were collected from the nationwide register maintained by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland and The National Population Registry identified three age-, sex- and residence-matched controls for each case. They were followed up together until 31st Dec 2015.
RESULTS:
Altogether 4,180 JIA patients (62% females) were identified. Mean age at diagnosis was 8.3 years. The average follow-up time was 6.6 years (IQR 3.1–10.5). The patients were compared with 12,511 controls. During 28,941 follow-up years, 11 JIA patients (6 females, 5 males) and 23 controls (12 females, 11 males) died. The mean age at death was 20.3 (range: 11–30) in JIA patients and 23.1 (range: 9–29) years in the control group, (p=0.17). Cumulative mortality in JIA was 0.6% (95% Cl 0.3–1.2) compared to 0.6% (95% Cl 0.4–1.0) in the controls; (hazard ratio 1.44, 95% Cl 0.70–2.95). Accidents were the most common (54%) cause of death in JIA, whereas suicide (39%) in the controls. Substance abuse and depression contributed more to deaths in the controls (39%) than in the JIA patients (10%), (p=0.053).
CONCLUSIONS:
The mortality rate was not elevated in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Rheumatology Article