The prevalence and impact of arthritis and other rheumatic conditions in the United States

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Public release date: 2-Jan-2008

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-01/w-tpa010208.php

Contact: Amy Molnar

amolnar@...

Wiley-Blackwell

The prevalence and impact of arthritis and other rheumatic conditions in

the United States

Expert estimates of the current and future disease burden indicate a

large and growing public health problem

Arthritis is the most common cause of disability in the United States.

Over the next 25 years as the Baby Boom generation continues to age, the

toll of this disease will escalate. To have a clear picture of the

looming disease burden and its impact on our nation’s health care and

public health systems, estimating disease prevalence—the number of

people affected by any form of arthritis—is critical.

The National Arthritis Data Workgroup was formed to provide a single

source of national data on various rheumatic conditions. Supported by

the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control, the

American College of Rheumatology, and the Arthritis Foundation, its

epidemiology experts use the best studies available to determine disease

prevalence, assess potential disease impact, and identify gaps in our

understanding of disease rates, populations, and social implications. In

the January 2008 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism

(http://www.interscience.wiley.com/journal/arthritis), the group

presents its latest report on the troubling state of arthritis in America.

Based on analyses of population estimates from the Census Bureau,

responses from national surveys, and findings from scores of

community-based studies across the country, the National Arthritis Data

Workgroup offers an unsettling snapshot of the 2005 (and future) burden

of arthritis. Some key findings of the study include:

* Overall arthritis: More than 21 percent of U.S. adults—over 46

million people-- have arthritis or other rheumatic condition diagnosed

by a doctor. Nearly two-thirds of arthritis patients are younger than

65. More than 60 percent are women. Disease rates are similar for whites

and African-Americans and higher than the rates for Hispanics. By 2030,

the number of people with arthritis is projected to increase to nearly

67 million—an increase of 40 percent.

* Osteoarthritis (OA): Nearly 27 million Americans suffer from OA,

the most common type of arthritis, an increase from the 21 million

estimated in 1990. Rising with age, OA prevalence also affects the hands

and knees of women more frequently than men and of African Americans

more frequently than whites.

* Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): This confounding and destructive

inflammatory disease affects 1.3 million adults, down from the 1990

estimate of 2.1 million--in part due to more restrictive classification

criteria but also because of a real drop in prevalence . Trends show

that the average age of diagnosis has increased steadily over time,

suggesting that RA is becoming a disease of older adults.

* Gout: In 2005 roughly 3 million Americans had gout in the

previous 12 months, up from the estimate of 2.1 million in 1990. An

inflammatory arthritis linked to elevated uric acid in the blood, gout

tends to be most prevalent among older men and more prevalent in older

African American males than in older white or Hispanic males.

* Juvenile Arthritis: Based on recent data from pediatric

ambulatory care visits, an estimated 294,000 children between the ages

of infancy and 17 are affected by arthritis or other rheumatic conditions.

* The report also includes 2005 prevalence estimates for

fibromyalgia, spondylarthritides, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic

sclerosis, Sjögren’s syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, polymyalgia

rheumatic/giant cell arteritis, and back and neck pain.

“Measuring the prevalence of arthritis poses many challenges,”

acknowledges National Arthritis Data Workgroup spokesperson and member,

Dr. G. Helmick. For starters, some conditions are episodic and

others have no standard case definition. In addition, estimates for some

rheumatic conditions rely on small or older studies with results that

might not apply to the current U.S. population. However, this report

calls attention to the high prevalence of arthritis nationwide and the

growing burden on not only our health care and public health systems,

but also on American industry and society.

###

Article: “Estimates of the Prevalence of Arthritis and Other Rheumatic

Conditions in the United States, Part I and Part II,” G.

Helmick, T. Felson, Reva C. Lawrence, Sherine , Rosemarie

Hirsch, C. Kent Kwoh, H. Liang, Hilal Maradit Kremers, Maureen

D. Mayes, A. Merkel, Stanley R. Pillemer, D. Reveille,

H. Stone, Lesley M. Arnold, Hyon Choi, A. Deyo, Marc C.

Hochberg, Gene G. Hunder, Joanne M. Jordan, N. Katz, and

Frederick Wolfe for the National Arthritis Data Workgroup; Arthritis &

Rheumatism, January 2008, 58:1.

--

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