Does rheumatoic arthritis shorten the life span?

It can: An interesting question. The answer is it does in some instances, either because of uncontrolled disease, the involvement of internal organs such as the lungs or heart or side effects of meds used to treat it.

Not w/ good therapy: Although epidemiologic studies do suggest a higher risk of death especially from cardiovascular disease in rheumatoid arthritis (ra), with the newer treatments available and good disease control, most RA patients can still live a long and productive life.