Objective: To assess quality of life (QoL) of outpatients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a real-life setting in Germany. Methods: This is a retrospective study analyzing records of patients suffering from RA who were treated within an ambulatory rheumatology specialty. We assessed demographic data, information on medication and additional therapies. QoL was assessed using the Short Form-36 (SF-36). We performed a baseline analysis (t0) followed by an analysis after 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months (t3 – t24). Results: A total of 636 patients were included in the baseline analysis: 20.3% (n=129) were male, mean age was 55 years and average disease duration was 5.2 years. 83.3% (n=530) patients were diagnosed with RA at the first visit (t0), in 16.7% (n=106) of the cases, the RA was diagnosed subsequently. Longitudinal data were available for 431 patients. On all SF-36 dimensions RA patients scored significantly lower than the general population matched for gender and age (p = 0.05 ): A sub-group analysis revealed the following significant differences: in bodily pain insurees of the statutory health insurance scored significantly worse than enrollees of private health insurance plans (p<0.01). No significant differences were observed between female and male RA patients at baseline. QoL was higher at each assessment compared to baseline for all dimensions but Role Emotional and General Health. The longitudinal analysis showed QoL improved in all but one dimension (Role Emotional) over the observation period of 24 months. This analysis is based on the last observation carried forward method. Conclusion: RA patients have a significant reduction of QoL compared to the general population. Results indicate that specialist treatment may help to improve QoL.