Burden of arthritis is soaring in the USA, says experts

Arthritis is exploding in an aging population of US baby boomers and is projected to increase by 40% in the next two decades, according to a new study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the National Arthritis Data Workgroup. The report reaffirms that nearly one in five US adults (46 million people) have arthritis and an estimated 67 million citizens will be affected by 2030.

The study, published in the January issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, found that osteoarthritis, the most common form of this disease, has increased to 27 million people, up from 1990 estimates of 21 million. Other key findings of the report include an increase in gout (three million adults, up from 2.1 million) and a decrease in rheumatoid arthritis (down from 2.1 million adults to 1.3 million). The study also estimates that 294,000 American children and teenagers under the age of 18 (or one in 250 children) have been diagnosed with arthritis or another rheumatologic condition.

"The prevalence of arthritis overall continues to grow in the United States, which is not surprising given that many of the specific conditions are age related and the general population is aging," said Charles Helmick, a CDC epidemiologist and a lead author on the study. "Increases in some of the more common types of arthritis suggest a growing impact on the health care and public health systems," Dr Helmick added.