Age and quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with biologic agents.

This study aimed to assess the relationship between age and quality of life (QOL) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after treatment with biologic agents. We recruited 153 patients with RA treated with biologic agents at three hospitals of Showa University from 2005 to 2016 for this retrospective cohort study. Patients were divided into two groups-aged 65 years and older (elderly group) and aged under 65 years (adult group). The primary outcome was the change in QOL over 6 months. We measured QOL using the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form-36 (SF-36), the physical component scale (PCS), and the mental component scale (MCS). There were 94 adult patients (61.4%) and 59 elderly patients (38.5%). Adjusted for sex, disease duration, Disease Activity Score 28 erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28ESR), Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI), and complications including interstitial lung disease, diabetes mellitus, and chronic kidney disease, there was a significant difference in PCS changes in 6 months between the groups (regression coefficients -7.25; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) -11.7 to -2.77;  = .0018). There was no significant difference in MCS. Elderly patients with RA may have more difficulty in achieving a satisfactory QOL after treatment with biologic agents.