Elderly-onset rheumatoid arthritis

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