Disability-adjusted life year for<unk>  per 100,000 inhabitants in 2004. The course of the disease varies greatly. Some people have mild short-term symptoms, but in most the disease is progressive for life. Around 25% will have subcutaneous nodules (known as<unk>  nodules); this is associated with a poor prognosis. Prognostic factors Poor prognostic factors include, * Persistent synovitis * Early erosive disease * Extra-articular findings (including subcutaneous<unk>  nodules) * Positive serum RF findings * Positive serum anti-CCP autoantibodies * Carriership of HLA-DR4 "Shared Epitope" alleles * Family history of<unk>  * Poor functional status * Socioeconomic factors * Elevated acute phase response (erythrocyte sedimentation<unk> te ESR, C-reactive protein CRP) * Increased clinical severity. Mortality<unk>  reduces lifespan on average from three to twelve years. Young age at onset, long disease duration, the presence of other health problems, and characteristics of severe<unk> —such as poor functional ability or overall health status, a lot of joint damage on x-rays, the need for hospitalisation or involvement of organs other than the joints—have been shown to associate with higher mortality. Positive responses to treatment may indicate a better prognosis. A 2005 study by the Mayo Clinic noted that<unk>  sufferers suffer a doubled risk of heart disease, independent of other risk factors such as diabetes, excessive alcohol use, and elevated cholesterol, blood pressure and body mass index. The mechanism by which<unk>  causes this increased risk remains unknown; the presence of chronic inflammation has been proposed as a contributing factor. It is possible that the use of new biologic drug therapies extend the lifespan of people with<unk>  and reduce the risk and progression of atherosclerosis. This is based on cohort and registry studies, and still remains hypothetical. It is still uncertain whether biologics improve vascular function in<unk>  or not. There was an increase in total cholesterol and HDLc levels and no improvement of the atherogenic index.
Rheumatoid arthritis
Fibromyalgia
Reactive arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis
Rheumatism
Lupus
Inflammatory arthritis
Septic arthritis