Rheumatoid arthritis in the elderly

Rheumatoid arthritis of late onset (LORA) referred as the subset of rheumatoid arthritis: with age of onset over 60 years old, seems to differ from young onset disease (YORA) by a more equal sex distribution, a higher frequency of abrupt disease onset, more large joint complaints and less extraarticular features. Different immunogenetic associations are also reported between the two age groups. The percentages of rheumatoid factor (RF) and C-reactive protein (CRP) positivity differ in various surveys in both groups examined. Favorable prognostic factors could be considered the absence of rheumatoid factor activity and the presence of pitting edema of the hands. Greek, patients with LORAS appear not to have differences in comparison to their younger counterparts. Disease modifying drugs and low doses of prednisone are the mainstream of therapy with need for further caution in the aged group. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.