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Medical Disability Advisor  >  Arthritis Rheumatoid  >  Prognosis

Arthritis, Rheumatoid

Related Terms

  • Chronic Inflammatory Arthritis
  • Proliferative Arthritis
  • RA
  • Systemic Arthritis

Specialists

  • Emergency Medicine Physician
  • Infectious Disease Internist
  • Internal Medicine Internist
  • Occupational Therapist
  • Orthopedic (Orthopaedic) Surgeon
  • Physiatrist
  • Physical Therapist
  • Rheumatologist

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Factors Influencing Duration

Although some individuals have mild symptoms that resolve, most people experience progressive disease over the course of their lifetime. The individual's age, the rate of disease progression, the severity of the disease, which joints and how many joints are involved, organ system involvement, the response to treatment, and the pattern of remissions and exacerbations all affect the length of disability.

New onset cases with today's disease modifying treatment will usually be able to stay at work, while cases with onsets greater than 10 years ago may have enough destructive arthritis to be permanently unable to do heavy work.

Duration Trends from Reference Data

DURATION TRENDS
 ICD-9-CM: 714.0  
CasesMeanMinMaxNo Lost TimeOver 6 Months
9178304340.5%13.3%
 
  
 
Percentile:5th25thMedian75th95th
Days:82963112199
 
  
 

Differences may exist between the duration tables and the reference graphs. Duration tables provide expected recovery periods based on the type of work performed by the individual. The reference graphs reflect the actual experience of many individuals across the spectrum of physical conditions, in a variety of industries, and with varying levels of case management. Selected graphs combine multiple codes based on similar means and medians.

Medical Codes

ICD-9-CM:
710.2 - Diffuse Diseases of Connective Tissue, Sicca Syndrome; Sjögrens Disease; Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca (Sicca Syndrome)
714 - Rheumatoid Arthritis and Other Inflammatory Polyarthropathies
714.0 - Rheumatoid Arthritis; Arthritis or Polyarthritis: Atrophic, Rheumatic (Chronic)
714.1 - Feltys Syndrome; Rheumatoid Arthritis with Splenoadenomegaly and Leukopenia
714.2 - Other Rheumatoid Arthritis with Visceral or Systemic Involvement; Rheumatoid Carditis
714.8 - Other Specified Inflammatory Polyarthropathies
714.81 - Rheumatoid Lung; Caplans Syndrome; Diffuse Interstitial Rheumatoid Disease of Lung; Fibrosing Alveolitis, Rheumatoid
714.89 - Other Specified Inflammatory Polyarthropathies, Other
714.9 - Unspecified Inflammatory Polyarthropathy

Prognosis

RA is a chronic, progressive disease. In the most advanced stages, affected joints can become grossly deformed and dysfunctional, tendons can rupture, and bone can be destroyed. Most individuals experience remissions and flare-ups (exacerbations) of the disease over time. Up to 75% of individuals with RA improve symptomatically with treatment, but 10% become severely disabled, even with full treatment (Beers). Research studies have shown that life expectancy is reduced in patients with RA by 3 to 18 years.

Source: Medical Disability Advisor






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