Abstract
The study of autoimmune manifestations in the elderly should be considered a priority for future medical research because of increasing life expectation, especially in developed countries. Although autoimmune processes should not be considered an obvious characteristic of old age, a large proportion of elderly people may have positive autoantibodies. Few studies have focused on the clinical presentation of systemic autoimmune diseases in the elderly, which are characterized in most cases by atypical features, insidious presentation and a lower expression of immunological alterations. This review analyses the characteristics and clinical expression of two systemic autoimmune diseases (systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren‘s syndrome) in elderly patients.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.
Notes
SLE: Systemic lupus erythematosus.
Adapted from Citation[60].