Life Expectancy

[rosedale]

Does anyone know what life expectancy one has with R A ? I hear so many different stories

[LavendarLady]

Hi Rosedale, No idea I am afraid. I Know that RA can affect heart and lungs, particularly heart and anyone with any chest twinges should see their GP immediately! I must admit I don't think about life expectancy very much - I just try to enjoy what I have although I fully intend to live to be 100 and a thorough nuisance to my relatives!

Like all life expectancy, it is affected by so many different factors that I would think it is impossible to say whether one has a shorter one with RA or not.

LavendarLady x

[Hidden]

Lavender ,, an excellent answer.. its all down to total genetic pic and lifestyle.. just as well we dont know.. enjoy each day xx

[ariadne]

RA takes an average of 10 years off a womans life and 5 years of mens. Obviously the extra articular symptoms such as pulmonary fibrosis and hypertension, coronary artery disease and vasculitis add to the risk of earlier mortality. Both methotrexate and RA itself increase your risk of getting certain cancers too, especially lymphoma. My grandad died at 48 with RA and lymphoma, and my mum died in 2009 with pulmonary hypertension, fibrosis and a "silent" heart attack. The death certificate said cause of death was RA.

I do think about mortality, but not in a particularly morbid way. I am fully aware of all the possibly serious symptoms that I may need to report to my doc promptly, and so on. Treatment is the best option as it can halt or slow down the progress of the illness. It's good to educate yourself about these things, be aware, face the possibilties of complications and so on, but dont dwell on it! You can still enjoy each day of your life whilst knowing about risks of this illness. And at the end of the day, one certainty is that EVERYONE will die of something!

I hope no one found this post too upsetting, but I did a little research a while ago into RA and mortality, and Im just reporting what I found.

best wishes

[Beth58 in reply to ariadne]

I whole heartedly agree with you, we're all going to die, some sooner than others.. and yes having a chronic long term illness does take 10 yr off your life however, what's average??

And I have 3 chronic conditions (that I know of) so do I loose 30yr? lol

The reality is; average age at death differs around the country and many factors have to be take into account.

Health education is the answer and take the opportunities life offers regardless of life expectancy you could be run over tomorrow anyway. x

[ariadne]

FYI nras.org.uk/about_rheumatoi...

[ariadne]

I posted a link with the info above, in answer to the original question about life expectancy. I have more than one condition too. It was RA that I was refering to , other conditions have different prognosis I guess. I agree that education is the best way forward. And yes, you could get run over tomorrow! So there is value in living for today too. But I do think it is a good idea to know as much about your condition ( s) as possible, because then you can at least make informed choices about treatment options. Also, I will never forget the shock of my relatives, who didnt understand just how serious RA is until my mother died of it. Its good that family and friends know at least that this illness is not trivial, or like a bit of wear and tear on a couple of joints - it is far from that. And we are strong individuals who cope and live with this non trivial illness. Bless us!! xx

[helixhelix]

Thanks for the link to that article. Depressing in one way, but also reaffirms how important it could be to look after ourselves in terms of stopping smoking (yes, I've managed that one hurrah), watching our weight (whoops, not quite there yet), and taking exercise (ok when weather's fine...). Polly