Yong Chen,1 Yan-Juan Chen,1 Jian-Feng Luo,2 Mang He,1 Si-Jin Zhao,3 Shi-Dan Tian,1 Yong-Qiao Zhang,3 Xiao-Long Chen,3 Chuan-Jie Yang,3 Yu-Zhuo Luo,3 Kutty Selva Nandakumar,4 Mei Tian1 

1Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 3The First School of Clinical Medicine, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden

Correspondence: Mei Tian, Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, 149 Dalian Road, Huichuan District, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, 563000, People’s Republic of China, Email 348820517@qq.com Kutty Selva Nandakumar, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, 17177, Sweden, Email ksnandakumar@outlook.com

Purpose: The quality of life (QoL) of elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Zunyi China based on health parameters has not been previously analyzed. This study compares the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) scores and prevailing health complications between < 60y and ≥ 60y patients with RA. Data from 1166 patients with RA who visited the rheumatology department of Zunyi Medical University Hospital were followed up and retrospectively analyzed.
Patients and Methods: Data from 1166 patients with RA who visited the rheumatology department of Zunyi Medical University Hospital (2021.1– 2022.8) were followed up and retrospectively analyzed.
Results: Twenty cases passed away at 61.55 ± 8.11y, which was 6.75 years less than the local average age of death. Elderly patients with RA reported lower recovery levels, and their levels of inflammatory markers such as Immunoglobulin M-rheumatoid factor (IgM-RF), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were significantly higher than those of younger patients during their past one-year observation period. The SF-36 results indicated that eight items of QoL in the elderly patients were all significantly inferior to < 60y patients, while the complications of interstitial lung disease (ILD), latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and, lung and herpes zoster infections were significantly higher.
Conclusion: Elderly patients had a higher disease activity along with poor QoL, more health-related complications, and susceptibility to infections. Our study emphasizes the imperative need for optimization of RA treatment modalities in the elderly to alleviate their sufferings.

Keywords: elderly rheumatoid arthritis, SF-36 scores, clinical characteristics, treatment outcomes