Long-term outcome in Felty's syndrome.

Felty's syndrome has again been shown to be a severe form of systemic rheumatoid disease characterised by severe joint involvement, many extra-articular features, and a high incidence of infection. In addition we have shown that splenectomy was not protective for infections and in fact may on occasion contributed to infection. Furthermore, although most patients had an increase in white blood cell count after splenectomy, 50% of patients without splenectomy showed a similar increase in white blood cell counts at follow-up. Mortality in Felty's syndrome was high, with infection being the main cause of death.