Trends in incidence and mortality in rheumatoid arthritis in Rochester, Minnesota, over a forty‐year period

OBJECTIVE: To determine time trends in the epidemiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a population-based cohort. METHODS: An inception cohort of residents of Rochester, Minnesota > or = 18 years of age who first fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology 1987 criteria between January 1, 1955 and December 31, 1994 (applied retrospectively, as appropriate) was assembled and followed up until January 1, 2000. Incidence rates were estimated …