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Stories for Reprint
Arthritis: America's Growing Problem
By Ferdous Al-Faruque, MARRTC Staff
Although many Americans might not know May is National Arthritis Month, nearly eighty percent of them know someone with the disease, according to the Arthritis Foundation. "It's important to educate people about arthritis because it's such a common condition," said Chad Helmick an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Arthritis is also the leading cause of disability in the United States. According to the CDC, 16 million Americans are limited in their daily activities by arthritis and that number is estimated to rise to 25 million by 2030. This is especially a concern for the 8.3 million Americans whose arthritis limits their ability to work.
There are over one hundred different forms of arthritis. Osteoarthritis, a disease that wears away cartilage between bones, is the most prevalent form. "There's no cure for (osteoarthritis)," said Helmick. "So we need to manage the symptoms through pain control, which includes physical activity, weight control, and self-management education, as well as medications."
A recent knee osteoarthritis study by the Arthritis Research Institute of America found that people with the disease were twice as likely to feel pain on a daily basis if they were overweight and nine times as likely if they were obese. Similar studies have also found that obese people with rheumatoid arthritis were more likely to have worse physical and mental quality of life.
But arthritis has more than just a human cost; it is an economic burden on those who have it, as well as on the American taxpayer. A recent CDC study found in 2003, arthritis and other rheumatic conditions cost Americans $128 billion in direct and indirect expenses. "The cost per person has remained pretty much the same (over the years), it's just that there's a lot more people now who have arthritis," said Helmick. He also said since the number of people with arthritis is expected to increase, so is the cost of the disease.
For people with arthritis, taking care of themselves and being more active may be the key to a better quality of life. A recent study by Johns Hopkins University found that losing just 15 pounds could reduce arthritis knee pain by half. In comparison, even the best medications on the market can only reduce the pain by 30 percent. To achieve this, participants of the study did not have to go through any rigorous exercise programs. They were only asked to walk an extra 30 minutes or add 10,000 steps to their daily routine.
According to the Arthritis Foundation, simple lifestyle changes can greatly improve the lives of people with arthritis. For example, increasing daily activities to include more walking or organizing your work environment to reduce strain on joints can improve one's quality of life dramatically.
The Missouri Arthritis and Osteoporosis Program is one of 36 state arthritis programs around the country and the only state program with a network of regional arthritis centers. It offers help to people with the disease in managing their condition and getting the best out of their lives. Beth Richards, the director of the program, says the six-week educational courses they provide are not too rigorous and are very well attended. She also says that the people taking the self-management courses have shown improvement. "They eat better, they exercise more, they have better questions for their physicians, and they're more involved in their health care," said Richards.
More information about the program can be found at www.marrtc.org/community/regional.html. Other such self-management programs and support can also be found on the Arthritis Foundation's Web site www.arthritis.org.
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