Authors: Touré Sidi, Pamanta Ibrahim Sory, Diallo Seydou F, KANE Fanta Dao, Touré Mohomodine Ibrahim, Maiga Alassane Baneye, Nanakassé Boubacar, Cissé Cheick Abdel Kader, Kodio Boureima, Sangaré Fanta, Diakité Fatoumata, Konaté Moussa, Touré Alkaya, Tolo Nagou, Dembélé Ibrahima Am
Introduction: Polyarthritis in the elderly is an inflammatory condition affecting more than three joints in a person of 65 years or older. Diagnosing polyarthritis at this age is challenging due to the frequent presence of associated conditions, the often-misleading nature of late-onset rheumatism, and the existence of joint diseases specific to the elderly. The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine the cause of polyarthritis in elderly patients in the Rheumatology Department of the Teaching Hospital “Point G”.
Patients and Methods: This was a single-center retrospective study over 17 years (from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2021) in the Rheumatology Department of the Teaching Hospital “Point G”. It included records of patients of 65 years or older seen in outpatient clinic with polyarthritis, regardless of the cause.
Results: We identified 66 cases of polyarthritis among 3,876 elderly patients seen in clinic, accounting for 1.7% of the study population. The sex ratio was 0.8 in favor of females. A wide range of symptoms were found, with pain as the main symptom. It was inflammatory in 65.2% of patients, with joint swelling in 98.5%. The most common extra-articular signs were hematological, with leukopenia in 87.8% of patients. Sedimentation rate (SR) was accelerated in 69.7% of cases, and C-reactive protein (CRP) was positive in 68.2% of patients. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was the most frequent condition (53% of cases), followed by gout (13.6%). Hypertension was the most common comorbidity, found in 62.2% of cases. Analgesics were used in 87.9% of patients. Methotrexate in monotherapy was the most used background therapy (62.1% of patients).
Conclusion: Polyarthritis in the elderly is not uncommon in rheumatology clinic, and is dominated by RA and gout. The clinical characteristics depending on the etiology differ a little from classic cases reported
elsewhere.