Introduction:

It is recognized that patients older than 65 years are the part of the population most affected by rheumatic diseases. The rheumatological diagnosis in the elderly is complicated by clinical manifestations, which mimic the changes related to age.

Objective:

To synthesize the general aspects of clinical management, diagnosis and therapy of the main rheumatic diseases inflammatory and non-inflammatory in this subgroup of the population.

Development:

The main non-inflammatory musculoskeletal disorders that affect older adults are osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and back pain, while the predominant inflammatory arthritis include rheumatoid arthritis, crystalline arthropathy, polymyalgia rheumatica and the inflammatory forms of osteoarthritis.

Conclusions:

It is vital for academics to be involved in the rheumatological aspects of aging and call attention to the imperative that is to promote reflective discussion within community medicine to address the impact of musculoskeletal problems that affect function and mobility of the elderly and immune dysregulation in aging, among other issues.

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