To evaluate the mortality associated with cervical spine deformities in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) based on national data.
The role of rheumatoid disorders of the cervical spine as a cause of death was studied in 1666 subjects who died in Finland in 1989 and had been entitled under the national sickness insurance scheme to receive reimbursed medication for RA. Death certificates and certificates for drug reimbursement of these 1666 patients and the clinical files of 853 patients were examined for the mention of cervical spine disorders. Thereafter, the cervical spine radiographs and detailed clinical histories of patients with diagnosed cervical spine disorder were evaluated separately.
According to the official death certificates, cervical spine disorder was not an underlying, contributory or immediate cause of death in any of these patients. Cervical spine abnormalities had been diagnosed only in 38/853 (4.5%) patients. Cervical spine radiographs from 33 patients were available for examination, and in 17 patients cervical spine deformities were found to be severe enough to be a potential cause of fatal complications. Among these 17 cases, four sudden and four postoperative deaths were recorded (one after cervical spine operation) and three patients were suffering from quadriparesis or paraparesis at the time of death. Among the other 16 patients with cervical spine radiographs, the cervical deformities were less severe and their death histories differed from those of the group with more severe deformities.
Cervical spine disorders in RA should be diagnosed early and treated actively to prevent severe and potentially fatal complications. Deaths caused by these disorders are rare, but they should be remembered when the death certificates are written.