Arthritis Is a Serious Health Problem
The Arthritis Foundation shares the following facts and figures about arthritis and what those who have it can do to take control of their condition.
- Doctor-diagnosed arthritis affects 43 million American adults of all ages (including 1.1 million Marylanders or 1 in 4) and nearly 300,000 children. Many more have chronic joint pain and may not yet have been diagnosed as having arthritis or a related condition.
- Arthritis is one of the most prevalent chronic health problems and the nation’s #1 cause of disability among Americans over age 15.
- Some forms affect people in their young-adult years as they are beginning careers and families and still others start during the peak career and child-rearing years.
- Baby boomers are now at prime risk. More than half those affected are under age 65.
- Arthritis limits everyday activities such as walking, dressing, and bathing for more than 7 million Americans.
- Arthritis refers to more than 100 different diseases that affect areas in or around joints. The disease also can affect other parts of the body, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, blood vessels and skin.
Arthritis and related conditions cause pain, loss of movement, stiffness and sometimes swelling. The two most common types of arthritis are:
- Osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease in which the cartilage that covers the ends of bones in the joint deteriorates, causing pain and loss of movement as bone begins to rub against bone. It is the most prevalent form of arthritis, and
- Rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease in which the joint lining becomes inflamed as part of the body’s immune system activity. Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most serious and disabling types, affecting mostly women.
Other common types include fibromyalgia, gout, ankylosing spondylitis, juvenile arthritis (a general term for all types of arthritis that occur in children), lupus, and scleroderma.
Unfortunately, there are no cures for most chronic arthritis and related conditions. Many think that little can be done to help arthritis, but this is not true. Some improvement in the pain and loss of function is possible in almost everyone with arthritis. Furthermore, the disease process that may lead to joint destructions can be controlled effectively in most people—particularly those with rheumatoid arthritis.
More can be done today to ease the pain of arthritis and to slow joint destruction than ever before. An arthritis management plan includes:
- medications,
- exercise, such as the Arthritis Foundation Aquatic Program and the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program
- rest/relaxation
- use of heat or cold
- self-help aids
- appropriate use of joints
- surgeries and
- self-management skills.