ABSTRACT
Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoporosis are some of the most common skeletal disorders in the elderly. Osteoarthritis is primarily a degenerative disease of the joints, rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic autoimmune inflammatory disease of the joints, but osteoporosis is a disease of the bones. These skeletal diseases are major health problems, characterized by significant morbidity, mortality, and economic burden. Over half of the older population is afflicted by arthritis, and approximately one-third of postmenopausal women will experience an osteoporotic fracture in their lifetime.
