Comparative study of elderly-onset versus young-onset rheumatoid arthritis: clinical features and treatment / 中华老年医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To compare the clinical features and treatment between elderly onset rheumatoid arthritis(EORA)and young onset rheumatoid arthritis(YORA).Methods The EORA patients (n=60)and the YORA patients (n =90)were compared regarding sex ratio,activity of pathogenetic condition,disease severity,extra-articular manifestations,complications,laboratory indexes,and therapeutic schedules.Results The female/male ratio was 36/24(1.50 ∶ 1.0)in group EORA,and 69/21(3.3 ∶ 1.0)in group YORA,with higher female/male ratio in in group YORA.The frequency of morning stiffness,proximal interphalangeal joint involvement and metacarpophalangeal joint involvement were lower in group EORA(53.3 ％,46.676％ and 61.67 ％) than in group YORA (72.2 ％,77.8 ％,81.11％) (x2 =5.521,15.385,6.960,P =0.018,0.000,0.008 respectively).Large joints involvement at onset of rheumatoid arthritis was higher in group EORA(38.33 ％)than in group YORA(18.89 ％)(x2=6.960,P=0.008).The joint swollen and tender counts were comparatively less (16.51 ± 7.34) and (15.92 ± 8.44) in group EORA than in group YORA(22.46 ± 7.58) and (23.8 ± 8.93) (t =5.080、5.740,all P =0.000) respectively.The accumulated disease activity score(DAS28)was higher in group EORA(5.86± 1.57)than in YORA(4.92± 1.64) (t=3.360,P =0.001).HAQ score was lower in group EORA(0.83 ± 0.85)than in group YORA (1.16±0.91) (t=2.43,P =0.02).Comorbid conditions such as osteoarthritis,osteoporosis,cardiovascular disease and chronic renal insufficiency were more frequent in group EORA (51.7 ％,31.7 ％,18.3 ％ and 15.00％)than in group YORA(27.8％,15.6％,5.6％ and 4.4％)(x2 =11.722,5.445,6.168,5.067,P=0.001,0.020,0.013,0.024).The positive rate of RF were more higher in YORA(70.00％)than in group EORA (48.33％)(x2 =7.126 P=0.008).The synthetic or biologic traditional DMARDs (disease modifying antirheumatic drugs)were widely used in group YORA(78.9％ and 31.1％)than in group EORA(40.0％ and 10.0％)(x2 =14.940,9.153,P =0.000,0.002).The more frequently used program with glucocorticoids hormonal therapy was received in group EORA(38.3 ％)than in group YORA(20.00 ％)(x2 =6.092 P=0.014) Conclusions EORA patients differs from YORA patients in many of ways,including a more balanced gender distribution,atypical presentation at onset of disease,more frequent involvement of large joints,seronegativity in a higher percentage,and less frequent positivity of anti CCP-antibody,which makes diagnosis more difficult in the earlier period.Therapy of EORA with DMARDs should be instituted based on disease activity,if there is no contraindication.