Bjelle A
Department of Rheumatology, Sahlgren University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden.
Z Rheumatol. 1992 Nov-Dec;51(6):295-300.
Rheumatic diseases affect individuals of all ages. Both incidence and prevalence vary between age groups, and the diagnosis and management of the same rheumatic disease may be very different at the various ages. It is thus important to recognize the spectrum of rheumatic disorders in age-specific groups. The functional decline of cells, tissues and organs does not occur at the same rate in all individuals. This results in an increased variation with aging. It has important clinical consequences in the diagnosis of disease in the elderly with risk of both underdiagnosis and overdiagnosis. The increasing number of elderly, the high prevalence and the specific diagnostic and therapeutic problems of rheumatic disorders in the elderly call for some rheumatologists to focus an interest in geriatric rheumatology.
风湿性疾病影响所有年龄段的个体。发病率和患病率在不同年龄组之间有所差异，并且同一风湿性疾病在不同年龄的诊断和管理可能会非常不同。因此，认识特定年龄组中的风湿性疾病谱很重要。细胞、组织和器官的功能衰退在所有个体中的发生速率并不相同。这导致随年龄增长差异增加。这在老年疾病诊断中具有重要的临床意义，存在漏诊和过度诊断的风险。老年人数量的增加、风湿性疾病在老年人中的高患病率以及特定的诊断和治疗问题，促使一些风湿病学家关注老年风湿病学。
