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Study:
1 in 3 Adults Has Arthritis By
DANIEL YEE, Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA
(AP) - Arthritis and other chronic joint problems are far more widespread than
estimated just five years ago, affecting one in three U.S. adults, or 69.9
million people in all, the government said Thursday in the first comprehensive
survey of the disease. Health
officials and advocates said the numbers — and related health care costs —
are expected to continue to rise as the baby boom generation reaches old age. The
survey shocked even advocates for arthritis sufferers. "We
just think that's alarming in terms of the number," said Tino Mantella,
president of the Arthritis Foundation. The
numbers were 63 percent higher than a 1997 estimate that said about one in five
U.S. adults, or nearly 43 million in all, had arthritis and other chronic joint
problems. The
new survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reflects, in part,
a real increase in arthritis, connected to the aging of the baby boomers. But it
also reflects a more thorough survey, the CDC said. Previous
estimates were much lower because many people do not tell doctors about their
joint pain, and others do not consider their aches and pains to be arthritis,
officials said. The latest survey employed more penetrating questions. A
total of 212,000 people from all 50 states were interviewed by telephone and
asked if, in the previous year, they had pain, stiffness or swelling around a
joint for at least a month. About a third of those with arthritis-like symptoms
said they had not consulted a doctor about their symptoms. "There
are many people with chronic joint symptoms who don't see a doctor," said
Dr. Chad Helmick of the CDC's arthritis program. The latest survey "is a
better way of capturing people who have always been out there with arthritis or
different symptoms." The
arthritis level ranged from 17.8 percent of adults in Hawaii to 42.6 percent of
adults in West Virginia. States in the central and northwestern parts of the
country had the highest rates. Last
year, arthritis patients cost the country about $80 billion in medical care
costs and lost work, health officials said. People
can reduce their risk of arthritis through exercise, weight management and a
healthy diet. "The
public has very little understanding about arthritis," said Dr. John
Klippel, medical director for the Arthritis Foundation. "Many people
associate arthritis with the process of aging, they assume aches and pains are
an inevitable part of aging when in fact it is not a natural part of
aging." The
survey confirmed previous studies that indicated arthritis tends to rise with
age and that it is more common in women. In addition, arthritis is more common
in those who are overweight or physically inactive. |