Pattern Of Mortality In Patients Research Articles

Mortality patterns in patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia during the COVID-19 pandemic: Predictors and insights

ObjectivesThis paper aims to determine the Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) in-hospital mortality rate and its associated risk factors during the COVID-19 pandemic. MethodsA total of 167 SAB samples were collected between March 2020 and March 2022 at a teaching hospital in Tehran, Iran. The patient's baseline data and antibiograms were collected. The outcome of the study was in-hospital mortality. ResultsThe overall in-hospital mortality rate was 41.9 %, with higher mortality observed in patients over 60 years old (P = 0.032), those with community-acquired Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (P = 0.010), and those admitted to the ICU (P = 0.016). Antibiotic resistance profiles indicated a higher mortality in resistant S.aureus strains but only significant for ciprofloxacin (P = 0.001), methicillin (P = 0.047), and sulfamethoxazole (P = 0.023). Multivariate analysis identified age, sex, ICU admission, and the source of bacteremia as independent predictors of mortality, while COVID-19 coinfection and resistance to antibiotics were not found to be significant predictors. ConclusionSAB remains a challenging infection that is amplified by the pandemic. Older age and ICU admission are significant mortality predictors. In settings with a high prevalence of MRSA, factors like age, sex, and quality of care outweigh pathogen-related factors such as antibiotic resistance.

Analyzing Mortality Patterns and Location of Death in Patients With Malignant Esophageal Neoplasms: A Two-Decade Study in the United States.

Background Esophageal neoplasm carries significant implications for end-of-life care. Despite medical advancements, disparities in the location of death persist. Understanding the factors influencing the place of death for esophageal neoplasm patients is crucial for delivering patient-centered care. Objectives The primary objective of this study is to inspect and evaluate mortality patterns in patients with malignant esophageal neoplasms over the past two decades. Materials and methods Using the CDC-WONDER database, the authors analyzed 309,919 esophageal neoplasm-related deaths. Data was categorized by age, gender, race, and location of death, enabling a detailed examination of the factors influencing the place of death. Result This analysis revealed significant disparities in death locations. Age, gender, race, and geographic region all played substantial roles in determining where esophageal neoplasm patients spent their final moments. Notably, males consistently experienced higher mortality rates across all settings. Geographic disparities indicated varying mortality rates by census region, with the Southern region reporting the highest rates. Racial disparities were also evident, with white individuals having the highest number of deaths. Conclusion This study underscores the importance of recognizing and addressing disparities in the place of death among esophageal neoplasm patients in the United States. By shedding light on the demographic influences on end-of-life decisions, it paves the way for more targeted and patient-centered approaches to end-of-life care for this patient population.

Mortality patterns of patients with tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma: a population-based study.

Tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) and second primary malignancies (SPMs) are the most common causes of mortality in patients with primary TSCC. However, the competing data on TSCC-specific death (TSD) or SPM-related death in patients with TSCC have not been evaluated. This study aimed to analyze the mortality patterns and formulate prediction models of mortality risk caused by TSCC and SPMs. Data on patients with a first diagnosis of TSCC were extracted as the training cohort from the 18 registries comprising the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. A competing risk approach of cumulation incidence function was used to estimate cumulative incidence curves. Fine and gray proportional sub-distributed hazard model analyses were performed to investigate the risk factors of TSD and SPMs. A nomogram was developed to predict the 5- and 10-year risk probabilities of death caused by TSCC and SPMs. Moreover, data from the 22 registries of the SEER database were also extracted to validate the nomograms. In the training cohort, we identified 14,530 patients with primary TSCC, with TSCC (46.84%) as the leading cause of death, followed by SPMs (26.86%) among all causes of death. In the proportion of SPMs, the lungs and bronchus (22.64%) were the most common sites for SPM-related deaths, followed by the larynx (9.99%), esophagus (8.46%), and Non-Melanoma skin (6.82%). Multivariate competing risk model showed that age, ethnicity, marital status, primary site, summary stage, radiotherapy, and surgery were independently associated with mortality caused by TSCC and SPMs. Such risk factors were selected to formulate prognostic nomograms. The nomograms showed preferable discrimination and calibration in both the training and validation cohorts. Patients with primary TSCC have a high mortality risk of SPMs, and the competing risk nomogram has an ideal performance for predicting TSD and SPMs-related mortality. Routine follow-up care for TSCC survivors should be expanded to monitor SPMs.

Morbidity and mortality patterns in patients with thalassaemia during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka; A single centre experience

The Asian Journal of Internal Medicine is the official journal of the Sri Lanka College of Internal Medicine. It is an open access peer-reviewed journal which is currently published bi-annually. AJIM’s mission is to achieve the supreme standards of holistic patient care by dissemination of high quality scientific knowledge related to Internal Medicine in the whole of Asia and Sri Lanka.

Causes of long-term mortality in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinomas

PurposeAfter treatment of a head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), patients with an adequate control of the tumor have a decreased overall survival when compared to age- and gender-matched controls in the general population. The aim of our study was to analyze the causes of long-term mortality in patients with HNSCC.MethodsWe carried out a retrospective study of 5122 patients with an index HNSCC treated at our center between 1985 and 2018. We analyzed the survival considering three causes of death: mortality associated with the HNSCC index tumor, mortality associated with a second or successive neoplasm, and mortality associated with a non-cancer cause.ResultsAfter the diagnosis of an HNSCC the most frequent cause of death is the head and neck tumor itself during the first 3.5 years of follow-up. Thereafter, mortality is more frequently associated with competing causes of death, such as second malignancies and non-cancer causes. Mortality associated with second and successive neoplasms was 2.3% per year, a percentage that was maintained constant throughout the follow-up. Likewise, mortality attributable to non-cancer causes was 1.6% per year, which also remained constant. There were differences in the mortality patterns according to the characteristics of the patients.ConclusionThere are differences in the mortality patterns of patients with HNSCC depending on their characteristics. Knowledge of these patterns can help in the design of guidelines to improve the follow-up protocols of this group of patients to optimize the clinical cost-effectiveness.

A Year Retrospective Study on the Morbidity and Mortality Pattern of Covid-19 Patients in an Isolation Facility in Benin City, Nigeria

A year after detecting the first COVID-19 case in Nigeria, data on the trend and pattern of morbidity and mortality are still emerging. Therefore, this study identifies the outcome of patients with COVID-19 in an isolation and treatment facility in Nigeria. This was a retrospective analysis of medical records for 327 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 patients in Stella Obasanjo Hospital, Benin, Edo state, South-south Nigeria. Extracted data included age, sex, comorbidities, the severity of illness, duration of hospitalization. Data was analyzed using the IBM SPSS version 22 software. Values <0.05 were regarded as significant. The majority of the study population were males (63.2%), and the mean age was 44.5 years. 146 participants had at least one comorbidity, with hypertension (61.5%) and diabetes (17.1%) being the most common. The mortality rate was (12.5%), and a higher proportion of patients with comorbidities died compared to those with no comorbidity. The trend of the morbidity and mortality pattern of patients with COVID-19 within the isolation and treatment facility showed higher adverse outcomes among those who presented with comorbid illnesses. Therefore, public enlightenment, vaccination, early detection, and targeted care for COVID-19 cases, especially those with comorbidities, are recommended.

Modern approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of cardiogenic shock complicating acute myocardial infarction

Cardiogenic shock (CS) is the most severe complication of myocardial infarction, manifested by an acute tissue hypoperfusion as a result of impaired contractile function of the heart. CS occupies a leading place in the patterns of mortality in patients with myocardial infarction, despite all the advances in medicine. This review presents a modern classification of CS and a risk assessment score, considers the main aspects of epidemiology and pathophysiology of CS, discusses issues of its diagnosis and treatment.

Evaluation of the validity of POSSUM and P-POSSUM score in predicting the risk of morbidity and mortality respectively in patients undergoing emergency laparotomy

Background: Aim of this study is to examine the efficacy of Physiological and operative severity score for the enumeration of mortality and morbidity (POSSUM) and Portsmouth predictor modification (P-POSSUM) equations in predicting morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing emergency laparotomy, to study the morbidity and mortality patterns in patients undergoing emergency laparotomy at Malla Reddy Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad. Methods: The study was conducted for a period of 2 years from February 2018 to February 2020. 100 Patients undergoing emergency laparotomy were studied in the Department of General surgery MRIMS, Hyderabad. POSSUM and P-POSSUM scores are used to predict mortality and morbidity. The ratio of observed to expected deaths (O:E ratio) was calculated for each analysis. Results: The study included total 100 patients, 83 men and 17 women. Observed mortality rate was compared to mortality rate with POSSUM, the O:E ratio was 0.62, and there was no significant difference between the observed and predicted values (χ²=10.79, 9 degree of freedom (df) p=0.148). Observed morbidity rates were compared to morbidity rates predicted by POSSUM, there was no significant difference between the observed and predicted values (χ²=9.89, 9 df, p=0.195) and the overall O:E ratio was 0.91. P-POSSUM predicted mortality equally well when the linear method of analysis was used, with an O:E ratio of 0.65 and no significant difference between the observed and predicted values (χ²= 5.33, 9 df, p= 0.617).Conclusion: POSSUM and P-POSSUM scoring is an accurate predictor of mortality and morbidity following emergency laparotomy and is a valid means of assessing adequacy of care provided to the patient.

Morbidity and Mortality Pattern of Patients Admitted into Paediatric Intensive Care Unit of Tertiary Level Hospital of Nepal

Introduction: The paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) takes care of critically ill paediatric patients. Regular evaluation of the outcomes of patients admitted to PICU is important to assess the effectiveness of various interventions. This study aimed to find the morbidity and mortality pattern of patients admitted to PICU of tertiary level Paediatric hospital of Nepal.
 Methods: We conducted a retrospective, cross sectional observational study using the records of all the patients admitted to PICU of a tertiary level hospital from January 2017 to August 2017. We collected data on age, sex, geographical distribution, duration of PICU stay and the morbidity and mortality outcomes. Outcome is classified as transfer to ward, leave against medical advice (LAMA) and death. Data were analysed descriptively using SPSS version 23.
 Results: Out of 358 patients admitted to PICU, the mean age was 1.83 years. Majority were infants (54.5%) with male:female ratio of 1.8:1. The major causes of PICU admission were respiratory disease (27.7%) followed by CNS disease (19.6%) and infections (17.3%). The average length of stay was 6.27 days. Overall mortality was 22.7%.
 Conclusion: Respiratory infections were the primary cause of PICU admission and overall mortality rate was high at 22.7%. However, mortality rate was even worse for patients with multi-system involvement. We need prospective studies to examine the underlying reasons for mortality among patients with multi-system involvement.

Demographic trends and in-hospital mortality data in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

e16648 Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains the 4th leading cause of cancer related mortality in the US. The incidence of HCC in the US appears to be increasing in specific demographic subgroups (Caucasian males, Hispanics and in the Southern US). Older studies identified substantial racial and ethnic differences in treatment and survival in HCC. There is a lack of large scale studies exploring the mortality patterns in patients hospitalized with HCC. Methods: The National Inpatient Sample was used to extract admissions for HCC using the ICD-9 code 155.0 from the years 2010 to 2014. The sample was weighted to approximate the full inpatient population of the U.S. over the 5-year interval. Univariate analysis was performed to determine the frequency distribution and bivariate analysis was performed using Chi Square test to determine the in-hospital mortality percentage. Results: A total of 52,868 (weighted = 262845) admissions were extracted from the years 2010 to 2014. While the number of patients admitted with HCC steadily increased over the 5-year study period, the overall in-hospital mortality decreased significantly from 9.35% to 7.68% (p < 0.0001). The mortality was highest for patients with African American ethnicity at 11.2% and for uninsured patients at 13%. The mortality rate among patients in the low income group (0-25th percentile) was 10.2 %, significantly higher (p = 0.0005) than other income groups. Conclusions: Even though the incidence of in-hospital mortality in HCC patients is decreasing, there appears to be a disparity in mortality data among patients of low socioeconomic status, self-pay or uninsured status and among African Americans. Our study further confirms the persistence of racial,economic and social disparities and highlights the need for additional equity research to understand the reasons for these differences and to improve outcomes for these subgroups of patients.

Unveiling the Natural History of Category 4 Tropical Cyclones: The Puerto Rico Trauma Hospital Experience after Hurricane Maria.

The hazardous environmental conditions hurricanes create might increase injury incidence almost 7 times. Therefore, a cohort study was performed at the Puerto Rico Trauma Hospital to compare morbidity and mortality patterns of patients after Hurricane Maria with a control period. Admissions from September 20, 2017, through January 20, 2018, constituted the post-Maria period (473 patients); the corresponding months of the previous year comprised the pre-Maria period (439 patients). Comparisons were done using Pearson's chi-square or Mann-Whitney U-tests, as appropriate. A logistic regression was performed to assess the association between mortality and the study period. Postlandfall admissions among patients aged 40-64 y increased by 6.6%, while among subjects between ages 18 and 39 y dropped by 7.0% (P = 0.03). Falls, gunshots, and burns were the injury mechanisms that varied the most across the exposure period. The median Injury Severity Score (13 vs 12; P = 0.05) and the frequency of Glasgow Coma Scale scores ≤8 (17.1% vs 10.9%; P = 0.03) were higher among poststorm patients. Moreover, a 2-fold (odds ratio = 1.93; 95% CI: 1.07-3.47) increase in mortality was observed after Maria, when adjusting for covariates. Following a hurricane, trauma centers might expect an older population, with more severe injuries and a 2-fold increased mortality risk.

Morbidity and mortality in minimally invasive esophagectomy: where do we stand

Background: The objective of the study was to study morbidity and mortality patterns in patients with carcinoma oesophagus who underwent minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) in a tertiary centre for oncology in South India.Methods: This was a retrospective observational study of 20 patients with carcinoma esophagus who underwent minimally invasive esophagectomy in center for oncology, Government Royapettah Hospital. Medical records of all these patients treated from September 2016 to August 2019 were collected from medical records department and details regarding the type of lesion, site of the lesion, preoperative chemoradiotherapy, type of surgery performed and post-operative complications were analyzed.Results: Out of 20 patients who underwent minimally invasive esophagectomy 13 were female and 7 were male. Among these 18 had squamous cell carcinoma, 2 had adenocarcinoma. Thirteen patients had lesion in middle third oesophagus and 7 patients had lesion in lower third oesophagus. Nineteen patients underwent surgery after chemoradiation and one patient underwent upfront surgery. Twelve patients underwent thoracolaparoscopic esophagectomy and 8 patients underwent trans hiatal esophagectomy. Perioperative complications were seen in 8 patients of whom pulmonary complications seen in 6 were most common. Anastomotic leaks occurred in 4 patients of which 2 patients were reoperated. One patient died within 30 days of surgery. Voice change and ECG abnormalities occurred in 2 patients each.Conclusions: Minimally invasive esophagectomy is safe and associated with comparable morbidity. Though the initial learning curve is steep, it helps in faster recovery of the patient. Also, the peri-operative outcome tends to improve with experience.

Causes and patterns of mortality in patients with lethal germ cell tumor (GCT).

421 Background: Most metastatic GCTs are cured with cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Clinical factors of adverse GCT-specific survival have been identified, however patterns of death are not well-defined and would inform clinical care and biological investigation. Methods: This multi-institutional study pooled data of male pts with death related to GCT from high-volume adult GCT academic centers (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Indiana University) over 20 years (1997-2017). Pts were annotated for site, stage, IGCCC risk, histology, primary therapy and relapse variables (including relapse histology, metastatic (met) burden, salvage and palliative therapies), and detailed cause of GCT death. Cox regression assessed associations with survival. Results: The pooled cohort of 620 pts comprised 90% non-seminoma, 21% mediastinal primary and at diagnosis, 59% were stage III, 64% poor risk; 48% received high-dose chemotherapy plus transplantation. Median survival (OS) from first relapse after metastasis was 12.0 mos. Leading causes of death were chemorefractory GCT (83.1%), secondary somatic malignancy (SSM) arising from teratoma (9.4%), acute toxicity (4.5%), late toxicity (2.3%) and progressive untransformed pure teratoma (0.8%). Late relapse (relapse >2 years after 1st-line therapy) occurred in 11.3% at a median of 5.9 yrs. Of these pts, 1/3 were stage I at initial diagnosis and 75% were good or intermediate risk at met diagnosis, and were more likely to have SSM histology/death vs early relapse. Late relapsing disease (HR 0.48, p<0.0001) and presence of SSM (HR 0.74, p=0.017) were associated with longer OS from first relapse after metastasis. Brain metastasis at any time occurred in 29.8%, associated with poorer OS. Conclusions: Comprehensive characterization of GCT-related death reveals a predominant pattern of mortality marked by de novo metastatic, poor-risk disease with subsequent early relapse and death due to chemorefractory non-teratomatous GCT. By contrast, a subset of pts with late-relapsing disease are more likely to have SSM-teratoma and a protracted clinical course. Lethal late relapses frequently occurred beyond 5 years, emphasizing the importance of long-term follow-up.

Mortality patterns in patients with diabetes mellitus at a Nigerian tertiary hospital: A 10-Year autopsy study.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a global health problem with associated high morbidity and mortality. This study was a retrospective review of post-mortem examination findings of hospitalised patients with DM for causes of death. A retrospective, cross-sectional autopsy review of all the patients with DM in our hospital between January 2008 and December 2017 was conducted. The causes of death were classified into cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, acute diabetic emergencies, infection, cancers and unnatural deaths. The demographic data and clinicopathological parameters were extracted, and the data were analysed using the SPSS software version 23. A total of 1092 cases of autopsy were done within the study period, of which 91 cases were on patients with diabetes accounting for 8.3%. Infections with sepsis were the major cause of death, accounting for 51.6% followed by cardiovascular diseases (16.5%), cancers (14.3%), acute diabetic emergencies (6.6%) and cerebrovascular accidents (6.6%), with renal complications and road traffic accidents accounting for 2.2% each. Patients' age ranged from 31 to 84 years, with a modal age of 57 years. There was a male predominance with a male-to-female ratio of 1.5:1. Systemic hypertension co-morbidity was statistically significantly more common in patients aged 60 and above (P = 0.035). The most common lesion observed in the kidneys was benign nephrosclerosis (43.2%). This study suggests that majority of our patients with diabetes mellitus die from infections with attendant sepsis. Older patients appear to have co-morbid systemic hypertension. Patient education on infection prevention and prompt treatment might be life-saving.

GCT-72 - Causes and patterns of mortality in patients diagnosed with germ cell tumour (GCT)

GCT-72 - Causes and patterns of mortality in patients diagnosed with germ cell tumour (GCT)

The Ebb and Flow of Echocardiographic Cardiac Function Parameters in Relationship to Hemodialysis Treatment in Patients with ESRD.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in patients receiving hemodialysis. Cardiovascular events in these patients demonstrate a day-of-week pattern; i.e., they occur more commonly during the last day of the long interdialytic interval and the first session of the week. The hemodialysis process causes acute decreases in cardiac chamber size and pulmonary circulation loading and acute diastolic dysfunction, possibly through myocardial stunning and other non-myocardial-related mechanisms; systolic function, in contrast, is largely unchanged. During interdialytic intervals volume overload, acid-base, and electrolyte shifts, as well as arterial and myocardial wall changes, result in dilatation of right cardiac chambers and pulmonary circulation overload. Recent studies suggest that these alterations are more extended during the long interdialytic interval or the first dialysis session of the week and are associated with excess volume overload or removal, respectively, thus adding a mechanism for the day-of-week pattern of mortality in patients receiving hemodialysis. This review summarizes the existing data from echocardiographic studies of cardiac morphology and function during the hemodialysis session, as well as during the interdialytic intervals.

Mortality Patterns in Patients with Multiple Trauma: A Systematic Review of Autopsy Studies.

PurposeA high percentage (50%-60%) of trauma patients die due to their injuries prior to arrival at the hospital. Studies on preclinical mortality including post-mortem examinations are rare. In this review, we summarized the literature focusing on clinical and preclinical mortality and studies included post-mortem examinations.MethodsA literature search was conducted using PubMed/Medline database for relevant medical literature in English or German language published within the last four decades (1980–2015). The following MeSH search terms were used in different combinations: “multiple trauma”, “epidemiology”, “mortality “, “cause of death”, and “autopsy”. References from available studies were searched as well.ResultsMarked differences in demographic parameters and injury severity between studies were identified. Moreover, the incidence of penetrating injuries has shown a wide range (between 4% and 38%). Both unimodal and bimodal concepts of trauma mortality have been favored. Studies have shown a wide variation in time intervals used to analyze the distribution of death. Thus, it is difficult to say which distribution is correct.ConclusionsWe have identified variable results indicating bimodal or unimodal death distribution. Further more stundardized studies in this field are needed. We would like to encourage investigators to choose the inclusion criteria more critically and to consider factors affecting the pattern of mortality.

Patterns of Mortality in Patients Treated with Dental Implants: A Comparison of Patient Age Groups and Corresponding Reference Populations

Little is known about the relationship between implant patient mortality compared to reference populations. The aim of this study was to report the mortality pattern in patients treated with dental implants up to a 15-year period, and to compare this to mortality in reference populations with regard to age at surgery, sex, and degree of tooth loss. Patient cumulative survival rate (CSR) was calculated for a total of 4,231 treated implant patients from a single clinic. Information was based on surgical registers in the clinic and the National Population Register in Sweden. Patients were arranged into age groups of 10 years, and CSR was compared to that of the reference population of comparable age and reported in relation to age at surgery, sex, and type of jaw/dentition. A similar, consistent, general relationship between CSR of different age groups of implant patients and reference populations could be observed for all parameters studied. Completely edentulous patients presented higher mortality than partially edentulous patients (P < .05). Furthermore, implant patients in younger age groups showed mortality similar to or higher than reference populations, while older patient age groups showed increasingly lower mortality than comparable reference populations for edentulous and partially edentulous patients (P < .05). A consistent pattern of mortality in different age groups of patients compared to reference populations was observed, indicating higher patient mortality in younger age groups and lower in older groups. The reported pattern is not assumed to be related to implant treatment per se, but is assumed to reflect the variation in general health of a selected subgroup of treated implant patients compared to the reference population in different age groups.

2138 – Psychiatric comorbidity and mortality in women with anorexia nervosa

Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a serious psychiatric disorder associated with high mortality. To examine mortality patterns in patients with anorexia nervosa and psychiatric comorbidity. 6009 women who received in-patient treatment for AN between 1973-2003 were followed up retrospectively using Swedish registers. SMR were calculated on the basis of 74 523 person-years for natural causes of death and 80 388 personyears for unnatural causes of death. SMR was calculated for the group as a whole but also for patients with comorbid inpatient-treated psychiatric disorders, defined by respective ICD-codes from the Swedish patient discharge register. Nearly half of the patients (44.9%) received in-patient treatment for a psychiatric disorder other than AN during the follow-up time. The overall SMR for anorexia nervosa with psychiatric comorbidity was 6.5 (95% CI: 5.2–7.9) for natural causes and 17.6 (95% CI:14.3–21.4) for unnatural causes of death. Comorbid psychiatric disorders yielded very high SMR for unnatural causes of death. The highest SMR for natural causes was estimated for anorexia nervosa with comorbid alcohol use disorder (16.8; 95% CI: 11.7–23.3). Anorexia nervosa is a disorder with high mortality for natural and unnatural causes of death, especially when psychiatric comorbidity is involved. To correctly diagnose psychiatric comorbidity, particularly alcohol use disorder, and initiate early treatment could be a way to decrease mortality.

Could accelerated aging explain the excess mortality in patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis?

To determine whether the mortality pattern in patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is consistent with the concept of accelerated aging, by comparing the observed mortality rates in patients with RA with the age-accelerated mortality rates from the general population. A population-based inception cohort of patients with seropositive RA (according to the American College of Rheumatology 1987 criteria) was assembled and followed up for vital status until July 1, 2008. The expected mortality rate was obtained by applying the death rates from the general population to the age, sex, and calendar year distribution of the RA population. The observed mortality was estimated using Kaplan-Meier methods. Acceleration factors for the expected mortality were estimated in accelerated failure time models. A total of 755 patients with seropositive RA (mean age 55.6 years, 69% women) were followed up for a mean of 12.5 years, during which 315 patients died. The expected median survival was age 82.4 years, whereas the median survival of the RA patients was age 76.7 years. Results of statistical modeling suggested that, in terms of mortality rates, patients with RA were effectively 2 years older than actual age at RA incidence, and thereafter the patients underwent 11.4 effective years of aging for each 10 years of calendar time. The overall observed mortality experience of patients with seropositive RA is consistent with the hypothesis of accelerated aging. The causes of accelerated aging in RA deserve further investigation.