Arthritis Facts and Data

Arthritis statistics compiled by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion say that Arthritis and other rheumatic conditions are the main cause of disability in the USA. By 2002, an estimated 43 million adults in the USA reported being diagnosed by a doctor to have some form of arthritis, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, gout or lupus. By the year 2030, they estimate that 64.9 million citizens will have been formally diagnosed with an arthritic condition.

The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis. Other common rheumatic conditions include gout, fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis. Inactive lifestyles is clearly a factor in the growing number of cases. Around 43% of those adults who have been diagnosed with arthritis are also physically inactive. Consistently people who are overweight or obese are being diagnosed with arthritis.

Among adults with diagnosed arthritis, many report significant subsequent limitations in important activities such as: walking, stooping, bending, kneeling, climbing stairs, and attending social activities such as church and family gatherings.

Arthritis patients have significantly worse quality of life than those without arthritis. They report more than twice as many unhealthy days and three times as many days with activity limitations in the past month than those without arthritis.

Arthritis accounts for 3% of all hospital intakes and nearly 4% of all ambulance services. Arthritis has an attributable risk of 18.1% for major depressions. In 1997, there were 256,000 knee replacements and 117,000 hip replacements associated with arthritis.

Arthritis affects people in all age groups including nearly 300,000 children. Costs to the U.S. economy totals more than $86.2 billion annually.