Rheumatoid arthritis(RA) is a progressive,autoimmune diseasethat affects several joints in the body.
The disease is resulting from the immune system attacking itself, targeting tissue primarily around joints.
Why Age Matters
The age of onset matters because it often affects RA’s severity and progression.
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The results of blood tests and the best treatment may also be different depending on the age of onset.
At every age, it’s crucial to getdiagnosedand treated as early as possible.
RA is an incurable autoimmune disease.
As a result, you have less pain, better mobility, and limited joint damage.
Average Onset
RA typically appears between the ages of 30 and 60.
However, the typical age-range varies.
Women usually develop RA between 25 and 50.
In this age group, women account for 75% of all cases.
Young-Onset RA
By the broadest definition, YORA occurs in people younger than 60-65 years.
However, it’s more accurate to say that YORA includes anyone between 16 and 60-65.
When RA is diagnosed In children up to the age of 16 it’s called juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
Over time, the disease may progress to include other joints.
The hallmark symptoms of pain, stiffness, and swelling come on gradually and progress over time.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for RA.
For those diagnosed with RA at a young age, it’s crucial to get treatment immediately.
Treatment aims to keep RA in remission, a goal often achieved withdisease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).
How Is RA Diagnosed?
To diagnose RA,blood testswill be run to check forrheumatoid factorand anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies.
These tests signifyinflammationin the body.
Young-onset patients will more often have seropositive RA, which means their antibody blood tests will come back positive.
The rheumatoid factor blood test is positive for about 70% of people with RA.
Medications
Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are a class of drugs used to treat inflammation.
Surgery
If RA has done enough damage, surgery may be a possible treatment option.
Surgery would be done to remove inflammation, repair tendons, fuse joints, or replace joints.
Age may disqualify a patient from joint replacement if they are too young, however.
Is Juvenile Arthritis Young-Onset RA?
Juvenile Arthritis (JIA) is the most common punch in of arthritis in children under 16.
It used to be called juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
While RA and JIA are similar and both have symptoms of swelling and pain, they differ in prognosis.
RA is a progressive, chronic condition while JIA is usually outgrown.
Therefore, JIA doesn’t fall into the group of young-onset RA patients.
There are a few things that differentiate LORA from EORA.
In terms of physical presentation, late-onset patients usually have an acute onset.
This means, Instead of symptoms showing up over time, the symptoms can come on quickly.
With that said, it is common for late-onset RA to be less severe.
Blood testing will also look different in LORA.
It should be noted, the diagnosis and treatment of LORA require additional considerations.
The healthcare provider must differentiate RA from other common and similar conditions likeosteoporosisandhypothyroidismthat are common in old age.
Once diagnosed with RA, the practitioner will be tasked to determine if this is acute or long-standing RA.
People with elderly-onset RA also have morecomorbidities.
Medication options for this group of RA patients include DMARDs, NSAIDs, and steroids.
Given the acute onset common in LORA, steroids are sometimes used briefly to decrease pain and inflammation.
However, ACR guidelines suggest avoiding steroids as much as possible and strongly recommend against long-term use.
Physical and occupational therapies are used in patients with RA.
Joint replacement surgeryis common among adults over 60 years old.
Early diagnosis and treatment have been proven to improve outcomes and severity of the disease.
Among all types of arthritis, osteoarthritis is the most prevalent.
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New rheumatoid arthritis treatment guidelines from the American College of Rheumatology.
