This is a MYTH. Although the incidence (the number of new cases in a given year) of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) increases in men and women until about the eighth decade of life, RA is not a disease of old age. Pack Health’s members with RA range from 22 to 74 years old. The incidence tends to peak earlier for women, who are most likely to be diagnosed with RA between the ages 55 to 64 years for women, than men, who are most likely to be diagnosed between the ages of 75 to 84 years.

It is important to know that RA can occur at any age, and is often diagnosed in the prime of life and even in children younger than 16 years of age.