Treatment Outcomes in Elderly Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Results from a Nationwide Korean Biologics Registry

Seung Min Jung¹, Ji Yeon Lee¹, Jung Hee Koh¹, Seung-Ki Kwok², Ji Hyeon Ju¹, Chong-Hyeon Yoon¹ and Sung-Hwan Park¹, ¹Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea, ²[email protected], Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea

Meeting: 2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting

Date of first publication: September 29, 2015

Keywords: Disease Activity, Elderly, registry and rheumatoid arthritis (RA)

Session Information

Date: Sunday, November 8, 2015

Session Title: Rheumatoid Arthritis - Clinical Aspects Poster I

Session Type: ACR Poster Session A

Session Time: 9:00AM-11:00AM

Background/Purpose: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease, predominantly affecting women in their fifth and sixth decades of life. Although population aging increases the mean age of patients with RA, the data in elderly patients are still limited. We aimed to investigate the treatment outcome and the risk factors for poor outcome in elderly patients with RA.

Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed the data of 1,227 patients with RA who were recruited for KOrean college of rheumatology BIOlogics (KOBIO) registry between 2013 and 2014. The demographic data, drugs, and disease activity were collected for all available participants. We compared the disease status between elderly patients (age ≥ 65) and younger patients (age < 65), and investigated the clinical factors affecting disease activity.

Results: Of 1,227 patients in KOBIO registry, 244 patients with RA were aged 65 or over. The proportion of men was higher (p = 0.012), and the duration of disease was longer (p < 0.001) in elderly patients compared to younger patients. The prevalence of comorbid condition determined by Charlson Comorbidity Index and Elixhauser’s Comorbidity Measures was higher in elderly group (p = 0.001). Treatment of methotrexate was more frequent in younger group (p = 0.004), while use of other medications was comparable. More patients in elderly group had a high disease activity (disease activity score in 28 joints > 5.1, simple disease activity index > 40, and clinical disease activity index > 22), which was independently associated with longer duration of disease, presence of comorbidity, and non-use of methotrexate (p = 0.002, p < 0.001, and p = 0.029, respectively). Especially, diabetes was closely related with poor treatment outcome.

Conclusion: This study suggests that disease activity might be insufficiently controlled in elderly patients with RA. The meticulous efforts would be required to reach therapeutic target of RA, regardless of age.

Disclosure: S. M. Jung, None; J. Y. Lee, None; J. H. Koh, None; S. K. Kwok, None; J. H. Ju, None; C. H. Yoon, None; S. H. Park, None.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Jung SM, Lee JY, Koh JH, Kwok SK, Ju JH, Yoon CH, Park SH. Treatment Outcomes in Elderly Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Results from a Nationwide Korean Biologics Registry [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2015; 67 (suppl 10). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/treatment-outcomes-in-elderly-patients-with-rheumatoid-arthritis-results-from-a-nationwide-korean-biologics-registry/. Accessed July 2, 2022.

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