Demographics and trends of Inflammatory Arthritis-Related Mortality in the United States, 1999–2019

Aishwarya Sudheer¹, Ishan Jani², Sarath Lal Mannumbeth Renjithlal² and Qi Wang³, ¹Saint Vincent Hospital, Worcester, MA, ²Rochester General Hospital, Rochester, NY, ³Metrohealth System/Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH

Meeting: ACR Convergence 2025

Keywords: Access to care, Administrative Data, Autoinflammatory diseases, gender

Session Information

Date: Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Title: (1877–1913) Epidemiology & Public Health Poster III

Session Type: Poster Session C

Session Time: 10:30AM-12:30PM

Background/Purpose: The study aims to evaluate the racial, sex-related and urbanization-related trends of deaths in patients with inflammatory polyarthropathies in the United States between 1999 and 2019

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC-WONDER) database. Deaths attributed to inflammatory polyarthritis were identified using ICD-10 codes M05–M13. Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) per 1,000,000 individuals were calculated, and temporal trends were analyzed using Joinpoint regression to estimate annual percentage changes (APCs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Mortality trends were stratified by sex, race/ethnicity, and urbanization level.

Results: Between 1999 and 2019, a total of 288,661 deaths were associated with inflammatory polyarthropathies. The overall AAMR declined from 5.6 (95% CI: 5.4–5.6) in 1999 to 3.2 (95% CI: 3.2–3.3) in 2019. Women had consistently higher AAMRs than men throughout the study period. Among females, the AAMR decreased from 6.3 (95% CI: 6.2–6.4) to 3.6 (95% CI: 3.5–3.7), with an overall rate of 4.7 (95% CI: 4.7–4.7). In comparison, the AAMR in males declined from 4.5 (95% CI: 4.4–4.7) to 2.7 (95% CI: 2.6–2.8), with an overall rate of 3.3 (95% CI: 3.3–3.4). Racial disparities were evident, with the highest AAMR observed among American Indian/Alaska Native populations at 5.0 (95% CI: 4.7–5.2), followed by White individuals at 4.2 (95% CI: 4.2–4.2), and Black individuals at 4.1 (95% CI: 4.1–4.2). Stratification by urbanization revealed higher mortality rates in rural non-metro areas (AAMR 5.3, 95% CI: 5.3–5.4) compared to large metropolitan areas (AAMR 3.4, 95% CI: 3.4–3.4).

Conclusion: In the United States, there has been a general reduction in mortality associated with inflammatory polyarthritis over the last two decades. Early diagnosis and improvement in treatment modalities could be the reason for this trend. Further studies to evaluate role of access to rheumatology care needs to be investigated as a cause for worse mortality rates in rural areas and specific ethnicities.

Disclosures: A. Sudheer: None; I. Jani: None; S. Mannumbeth Renjithlal: None; Q. Wang: None.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Sudheer A, Jani I, Mannumbeth Renjithlal S, Wang Q. Demographics and trends of Inflammatory Arthritis-Related Mortality in the United States, 1999–2019 [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2025; 77 (suppl 9). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/demographics-and-trends-of-inflammatory-arthritis-related-mortality-in-the-united-states-1999-2019/. Accessed .

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