Other elderly RA diagnoses -

[Samwise91]

How many over 80s have been diagnosed with RA after they turned 80? How are you coping?

[helixhelix]

Late onset RA is considered to be over 60. But does develop until 80-85, so you’ve been unlucky!

This article might be of interest as discusses the difference if you get it later. Hope i5 helps

arthritis-research.biomedce....

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to helixhelix]

Thanks for that HH, looks like I’ve got late onset inflammatory arthritis, bit annoying really. I knew I was on the elderly side for my Graves disease, hopefully I don’t get late onset anything else.

[AgedCrone in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

But it also depends on how physically fit you are & how much exercise you were doing when diagnosed.

Let’s face it….there are 60 yr olds without RA who can hardly get up from sitting in a chair,& others who can run a marathon!

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to AgedCrone]

Can’t see me running a marathon but you’re right, I’d say I’m pretty fit for my age all things considered and fitter than a lot of people I know who are younger than I am. I was just surprised about the late onset bit 😊

[AgedCrone in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

I don’t think the treatment would be vastly different though …I know younger people in their 40’s newly diagnosed & they are starting off on exactly the same DMards I was prescribed 20+ years ago. The dreaded SSZ for instance! Ugh!!!

[Samwise91 in reply to AgedCrone]

Thanks for your comment - very true...

I was 86 when diagnosed some months after having a total knee replacement (titanium) for severe arthritis. Before that I was caring for my husband for 13 years after he was initially diagnosed with cancer, NHL. After 5 years (chemo, surgery, septicaemia etc then later diagnosed with Dementia/Alzheimers. As you may know caring involves a good deal of physical hard work including up and down stairs and up most nights. A good deal of cleaning... Occasionally I had to physically help lift him when fallen but fortunately I'd had lifting and handling training as an 'old fashioned' Chartered Physio. Physio was then a 'hands-on' profession where I was taught mobilisation and manipulation of patients' joints and worked on intensive care at times where we had to lift and transfer heavy patients with few staff... I was very fit as a physio and all my life have, until RA came my way, done a lot of gardening... There seem so many unknown factors involved. This forum is excellent...

[AgedCrone]

Tbh..I don’t think paper age matters that much……it’s how active you are & how you cope with the years…..look at Joan Collins…no RA…then Sheila Hancock diagnosed with RA & as far as I know…both still treading the boards with equal success,

With RA…..some 80+ can go with the flow & lead a good life..others just don’t manage too well..with or without RA.

Sadly there is no recipe for success…you are either lucky, or you,’re not. !

[Scottishlad]

My friend was diagnosed in her late 80s after being prescribed Methotrexate managed well.

[oldtimer2]

I'm still having flares in my eighties - but I started aged 37yrs. My sister waited until she was in her 70s before developing Giant Cell Arteritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis.