Association between the inflammatory burden index and rheumatoid arthritis and its all-cause mortality: data from NHANES 1999-2018.

Background And Aims: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a prevalent chronic autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation. The Inflammatory Burden Index (IBI) is a newly proposed comprehensive inflammation index used to assess systemic inflammation. The relationship between IBI and RA, as well as its all-cause mortality, remains unclear.