Overview of Rheumatic Diseases in the Elderly: The FIBRA Study

Abstract

Introduction: The high prevalence of rheumatic diseases and the countless adverse effects caused in the individual make them a great challenge for governments and healthcare systems worldwide. Objective: To assess the prevalence of rheumatic diseases in the elderly and their relationship with some biopsychosocial variables. Method: This is a cross-sectional population-based study whose data were obtained from the FIBra Study electronic database, developed in the 2008-2009 period and involving 2,593 individuals older than 65 years who lived in urban areas. Results: We found that rheumatic diseases have a prevalence of 43.5% in the elderly sample, with mean age of 72.3 years old and predominance of females. The biopsychosocial variables more strongly associated with rheumatic diseases were: chronic diseases (52.1%); depressive symptoms (56.7%); regular (48.5%), poor or very poor (52.3%) health self-evaluation; report of one (49.7%) or more (62.7%) cases of falls; and obesity (57.0%). Conclusion: We found a high prevalence of rheumatic diseases in the elderly population and a close relationship of these with the individual's biopsychosocial variables, and given the world population ageing, the scenario is worsened in the public healthcare and thus strategies for prevention and early treatment of these diseases should be implemented urgently.

Rheumatic diseases and associated factors in older adults: a Brazilian population-based study

“…Musculoskeletal and joint diseases are the main causes of pain in older adults, accounting for about 40.0% of chronic diseases and 20.0% of health expenditures 1,2 .…”