Arthritis fact sheet

Defining Arthritis

The term "arthritis" refers to over 100 diseases affecting the joints and the areas surrounding them. Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus, fibromyalgia, ankylosing spondylitis and scleroderma are all forms of arthritis.

Arthritis By the Numbers

Sixty-six million Americans - nearly one out of every three adults - currently suffer from arthritis or chronic joint symptoms. Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. among those over the age of 15, but affects people of all ages, including nearly 300,000 children. More than 16 million people have arthritis-related difficulty in walking, climbing stairs, bathing and dressing. By 2030, nearly 70 million Americans over the age of 17 will have physician-diagnosed arthritis.

Tallying the Damage

Each year, arthritis prompts more than 39 million physician visits and over half a million hospitalizations. Medical care costs for arthritis are estimated at $51 billion; when loss of productivity is figured in, the estimate rises to $86 billion.

Common Forms of Arthritis

Some 5.1 million Americans suffer from gout, 3.7 million from fibromyalgia, and 3 million from rheumatoid arthritis. The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis, which afflicts nearly 21 million Americans, most of whom are over the age of 45 when they first notice the symptoms.

Symptoms of Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis causes the cartilage that caps the ends of the bones to dry out and break down, triggering pain, stiffness, crackling and popping sounds on movement, and difficulty in moving the afflicted joint. As the cartilage wears away, the bone ends may begin to grind against each other, and bony overgrowth may develop. Little bits of bone or cartilage can break off and float around in the joint space, causing pain, and the joint lining (synovium) can become inflamed. In severe cases, the entire joint may become deformed. Physicians can rate the severity of osteoarthritis on a scale of 1 to 4, depending on "radiology space", or the amount of space between the bones in a joint as seen on X-ray. However, this grade does not necessarily correspond with the amount of pain one experiences.

Which Joints Are Most Likely to be Affected by Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis typically strikes in weight-bearing joints such as those found in the knees, hips, fingers, hands, ankles and spine.

What Triggers Osteoarthritis?

There is no "osteoarthritis germ" or other single cause of the disease. Instead, a number of factors may be to blame, including biochemical changes in the cartilage tissue, a family history of the disease, injury to the joint, weakness of the muscles supporting the joint, certain sports that cause joint overuse, Paget’s disease or other bone ailments, obesity, and repetitive motion injuries (as might occur in a data processor’s wrist, for example).

Who Is Likely to Develop Osteoarthritis?

The chances of developing osteoarthritis increase if you’re past age 45, you’ve had a joint injury, your joints have been repeatedly stressed, your parents had it or you’re overweight. The disease affects women a little more than it does men. Osteoarthritis can be detected in the x-rays of some 70% of those over the age of 70, although only half will actually develop symptoms.

Does Everyone Have the Same Symptoms?

People respond differently to the disease, with some shrugging off the symptoms and others struggling with on-going pain and disability. A patient’s age, degree of cartilage loss and joint damage, general health, attitudes toward pain and other factors all play a role in determining how much he or she will suffer from pain and other symptoms. People with different “patient profiles” may require different types of levels of treatment.

What Do Doctors Do for Osteoarthritis?

Standard medical treatment includes:

• Physical therapy - Exercises are prescribed to strengthen the muscles supporting afflicted joints and increase range of movement. Heat therapy, water therapy, massage and other "hands-on" therapies are used primarily to relieve pain.
• Medicines - Acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen are routinely prescribed for standard pain relief. Corticosteroids may be injected into an afflicted joint to handle more severe pain.
• Surgery - In the case of serious pain or where joint has been severely damaged, arthroscopy or joint replacement may be recommended.

What Are Some of the More Popular Alternative Therapies for Osteoarthritis?

Many people have look for relief from acupuncture, Ayurvedic healing, chiropractic, and homeopathy. Herbs such as angelica, bladderwrack, meadowsweet and yarrow are used, and supplements such as chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine are used to ease pain and help repair damaged cartilage.

A Sad Ending Note

Half of those who have arthritis believe that nothing can be done to help them.