PhD defence Saskia Petronella Maria Truijen
Supervisor: Prof. dr. Annelies Boonen
Co-supervisor: Dr. Marloes van Onna
Keywords: Rheumatoid arthritis, Ageing, Musculoskeletal pain, Research in older adults
"Surfing the Silver Wave: Insights into the Role of Ageing on Musculoskeletal Pain and Outcomes in Rheumatoid Arthritis"
As the global population ages, the number of people living with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases is growing. This thesis investigated how ageing affects people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic disease in which the immune system causes painful inflammation of the joints, and whether they age differently from people without the disease. It also examined musculoskeletal pain in the general population to better understand which changes are part of normal ageing.
The findings do not support accelerated ageing in people with RA. Instead, they experience an additional health burden, including pain, physical limitations and frailty, that is mainly related to the disease itself. Musculoskeletal pain is also common in the general population and has a substantial impact on quality of life, although this impact appears less pronounced in older adults. Together, these findings highlight the need to look beyond chronological age and disease-specific outcomes towards a more geriatric-informed approach to care and research.
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