Elderly-onset rheumatoid arthritis

One third of the elderly population acquires rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after the age of 60, and the prevalence of the condition increases with advancing age. This statistic is particularly important because of the growing population of older persons and the potential implications for the care of these patients in the future. If elderly-onset RA. beginning after 60 years of age is a distinctly different disorder from younger-onset RA, physicians must be aware of this and the diagnostic and therapeutic significance.