Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Maastricht University Medical Center, School for Public Health and Primary Care (CAPHRI), Maastricht University, The Netherlands.
Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2019 May-Jun;37(3):496-501. Epub 2018 Dec 19.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disease of unknown aetiology which principally affects the small joints of the hands and feet. The incidence of RA increases with age and peaks within the age range of 70 to 79 years. In the ageing population, therefore, it is expected that the number of patients with RA will grow proportionally and more patients will have comorbidities but also so-called geriatric syndromes (GS). GS are clinical and multifactorial conditions in older persons that are associated with poor health outcomes, do not fit into disease categories (comorbidities) and require a multidimensional treatment approach. Patients suffering from RA may be at increased risk for GS. Therefore, it is important that rheumatologists are knowledgeable about the constructs represented by GS, understand the main risk factors, and gain insight in how to recognise these syndromes. Limited awareness of the (risk for) GS in patients with RA among rheumatologists may lead to ineffective management of RA. Our objective was to provide a comprehensive overview about the prevalence, aetiologic factors and health consequences of the most important GS in patients with RA.
类风湿关节炎（RA）是一种病因不明的慢性、系统性炎症性疾病，主要影响手和脚的小关节。RA 的发病率随年龄增长而增加，发病高峰在 70 至 79 岁年龄段。因此，在老龄化人口中，预计 RA 患者的数量将相应增加，并且更多的患者将同时患有合并症和所谓的老年综合征（GS）。GS 是老年人中与健康结果不良相关的临床和多因素情况，不符合疾病类别（合并症），需要采用多维治疗方法。患有 RA 的患者可能面临更高的 GS 风险。因此，风湿科医生了解 GS 所代表的结构、理解主要风险因素并深入了解如何识别这些综合征非常重要。风湿科医生对 RA 患者 GS（风险）的认识有限，可能导致 RA 的管理无效。我们的目的是全面概述 RA 患者中最重要的 GS 的流行情况、病因因素和健康后果。
