To assess the incidence and outcome of renal replacement therapy (RRT) among patients with amyloidosis associated with inflammatory rheumatic diseases.
Patients with amyloidosis entering RRT from 1987 to 2002 were identified from the Finnish Registry for Kidney Diseases. Five hundred two patients were identified, 80% of whom had amyloidosis associated with an underlying rheumatic disease. They were followed from the time of entering RRT until death or until the end of 2003 using the Finnish national mortality files.
During the study period, there was no decline in the number of patients with amyloidosis entering RRT. Mean age of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) increased significantly from 1987 to 2002 (p < 0.001). Male sex and a diagnosis of JIA indicated an increased risk of mortality. The median survival time after entering RRT was 2.11 years for RA (95% CI 1.93 to 2.69), 2.37 years for ankylosing spondylitis (95% CI 1.11 to 4.31), and 3.05 years for JIA (95% CI 2.19 to 4.23). The 5-year survival rates among patients with the corresponding diagnoses were 18% (95% CI 14% to 23%), 30% (95% CI 14% to 48%), and 27% (95% CI 14% to 41%), respectively.
No decline was seen in the number of patients with amyloidosis associated with inflammatory rheumatic diseases accepted for RRT, but over the years, the age of patients with RA or JIA entering RRT was seen to increase. The outcome of patients with amyloidosis and endstage renal disease associated with rheumatic diseases remains poor.