To study the pattern of lethal outcomes due to rheumatic diseases (RD) in Moscow.
Annual reports of 38 pathological departments of Moscow have been analysed for 1999 and 2000.
RD accounted for 1.8% diagnosis at autopsies (n = 784). RD as the main diagnosis was in 668 cases (1.53%). Diseases of the bone-muscle system caused death 3.5 times less often than rheumatism. As concommitent diseases RD were encountered in 118 cases (0.27%), diseases of the bone-muscle system were registered 2 times less frequently than rheumatism. Chronic rheumatic diseases of the heart were diagnosed in 590 cases (98.5%), rheumatic fever was detected in 9 (1.5%) patients. The main diagnosis of RA, seronegative arthritides, systemic vasculitides, SLE, osteoarthrosis was made in 49, 10 9.3, 12.7, 1.3%, respectively. Such nosological entities as osteoporosis, gout and other microcrystalline arthritides were referred to the group "other rheumatic diseases" and made up 12.7%. As concomitant pathology RA, OA, seronegative spondyloarthritides, SLE, other RD occurred in 54, 8.1, 27, 2.7, 2.7%, respectively.
The share of RD in autopsy diagnosis accounts for 1.8% of the total number of necropsies. These figures seem to underestimate the real situation and may be explained by poor registration of RD at autopsy and a fall in the total number of autopsies for the last 10 years. For Moscow and Russia as a whole there is a prevalence of rheumatism mortality (76%), primarily deaths of chronic rheumatic cardiac diseases, over mortality due to diseases of the bone-muscular system (24%).