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News Releases
Arthritis: An Invisible Problem
Columbia, Mo. (Dec. 2, 2004) - Society needs to achieve a greater understanding of arthritis and its significant impact on America's economic, social and health care systems. That's the conclusion of a recent town-hall meeting co-sponsored by the Missouri Arthritis Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (MARRTC) and the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR).
More than 100 people, including health-care professionals, lawmakers and average citizens, gathered to discuss the disease, which is the No. 1 cause of disability in the U.S. They discussed the problems associated with arthritis and concluded that there's still a lot more to accomplish to help prevent and treat it.
Arthritis affects an estimated 70 million Americans - nearly one of every three people. It's an umbrella term for more than 100 diseases and conditions, which affect joints, the surrounding tissues and other connective tissues. The three most common forms of it are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. Yet, many individuals tend to view the condition as merely a fact of growing older and therefore, dismiss it as an important topic.
"Some of the disability associated with arthritis is preventable, so it's important to give people the information they need to avoid developing the disability in the first place," says Jerry C. Parker, director of MARRTC and associate chief of staff for research and development at the Harry S Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital.
MARRTC is now releasing a report from its town-hall meeting that calls for change. The report states that the lack of awareness among educators, employers, healthcare providers and the media might mean an economic burden for the country. For example in the year 2000, arthritis cost the nation $124.8 billion. Medical expenses accounted for more than one-third of that amount while indirect costs, such as lost wages, accounted for the other two-thirds.
The report states that increasing awareness is a crucial first step toward confronting the insidious disease. Lack of awareness among healthcare providers can result in people with arthritis not getting the specialty care they need to prevent the worsening of the symptoms or the onset of disability. The lack of awareness among employers and employees could result in people performing jobs that make their arthritis worse, thus, increasing the risk of disability.
MARRTC is distributing the reports to NIDRR grant recipients, members of Congress, independent living centers and state vocational rehabilitation programs. The town-hall reports are available, free of charge, by calling (573) 882-2914; Toll Free: (877) 882-6826; TTY: (800) 735-2966 or by e-mailing marrtc@missouri.edu.
Established in 1971 at the MU Arthritis Center, MARRTC is the only federally funded arthritis rehabilitation research and training center in the country. Its mission is to become a national leader in the area of disability management, improve the quality of life and promote independent living among people with arthritis and arthritic conditions. MARRTC's motto is "Disability is Everyone's Issue."
MARRTC, which is part of the MU Health Communication Research Center (HCRC), is funded by the U.S. Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (H133B031120).
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