ABSTRACT
Rheumatoid arthritis [RA] differs depending on the age of disease onset. The differences between young onset rheumatoid arthritis [YORA] and elderly onset rheumatoid arthritis [EORA] are important because they have clinical and therapeutic implications. The study was conducted on 1185 patients who were ranked after classification according to age at onset of the disease into YORA I, 16-40 years, YORA II, 41-60 years and EORA >60 years. All were compared, based on disease duration [DD], disease activity, severity parameters and drug history. YORA I comprised 298 patients, 28.85% males, age 29.4 +/- 6 and DD 4 +/- 3.3 y, YORA II included 539 patients, 33.77% males, age 49.7 +/- 6.1 y. and DD 6.5 +/- 5.6 y. EORA included 348 RA patients 40.5% males, age 67.1 +/- 6.6 y, DD 9.95 +/- 7.2 y. Activity was increased in EORA compared to YORA I and YORA II, while severity decreased in EORA. ESR, CRP and degree of anemia were higher in EORA. RF titer was higher in YORA. In YORA peripheral joints of the hands and feet were more involved while, large joints in EORA. Rheumatoid nodules were increased in YORA I than EORA p= 0.04. Polymyalgia rheumatica was exclusively present in EORA group 25 patients 7.2%. YORA used methotrexate and its mean dose was higher than EORA. EORA on multiple DMARD 57.9% or biologics 0.8% was significantly lower compared with YORA 186.3% and 1.7%, p= 0.001. EORA has more active and less disabling and affects more males than YORA. The use of biologic therapy and combination DMARD therapy was less in EORA