Consideration of differences in drug usage between young-onset and elderly-onset rheumatoid arthritis with target of low disease activity

Abstract

Objectives

Elderly-onset rheumatoid arthritis (EORA) is reported to differ from young-onset rheumatoid arthritis (YORA) with regard to patient background and drug treatment. We examined the amount of drug administered to patients who achieved low disease activity (LDA) for rheumatoid arthritis at our hospital.

Methods

Demographics, clinical history, and treatments were compared between patients with EORA (n = 70) and YORA (n = 190).

Results

There was a significant difference in the average age (73.8 vs. 57.8 years), disease duration (6.66 vs. 14.7 years), and sex (62.9% males vs. 83.7% females), but no difference in rheumatoid factor positivity (85.3% vs. 80.7%), anti-citrullinated peptide antibody positivity (86.5% vs. 87.7%), simplified disease activity index (4.28 vs. 4.59), or disease activity score 28-CRP (1.99 vs. 2.04) in the EORA and YORA groups, respectively. There were also no significant differences in prednisolone use (37.1% vs. 36.3%), amount of methotrexate administered (MTX) (1.45 vs. 1.41 mg), and MTX use (55.7% vs. 65.3%). However, the MTX dose (2.89 vs. 4.09 mg/week, p = .011) and overall biologics use (32.9% vs. 56.3%, p = .0012) were significantly lower in patients with EORA than in those with YORA.

Conclusion

Patients with EORA may be able to achieve LDA with lower drug dosage than those with YORA.

Keywords:

• Disease activity score 28-CRP
• elderly-onset rheumatoid arthritis
• low disease activity
• simplified disease activity index
• young-onset rheumatoid arthritis

Conflict of interest

None.