Intramuscular gold therapy is associated with long survival in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

To investigate whether the premature death of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was associated with intramuscular (im) gold treatment or side effects due to gold, a sample of 573 adult patients with RA treated at hospital for the first time during 1961-66 was retrospectively studied for the duration and side effects of im gold treatment as well as death and causes of death. By 1989 a total of 251 patients had died. Gold treatment was not associated with premature death. On the contrary, longterm gold treatment was associated with a high survival rate. Secondary amyloidosis was diagnosed in 28 out of 63 patients, who had gold associated renal disease and who died.