October 18, 2021 – Conditions such as arthritis and gout, which cause stiff and painful joints, affect nearly 1 in 4 adults in the United States, a new federal report says, and their numbers are increasing as the population progresses. As a result, many of these people – nearly 44% – are physically handicapped and unable to participate fully in activities such as hobbies or housework.
Researchers also report that people with disabilities and those who are poorer are most vulnerable to these disorders.
The findings, based on calculations from 2016 to 2018, “are exactly in line with the trends seen in arthritis over the past 20 years,” said Dr. Michael LaWally, a public health teacher at Boston University. “The spread is increasing.”
The CDC report, released on October 8, is based on personal interviews conducted with tens of thousands of adults in the United States as part of the National Health Interview Survey. Researchers estimate that 24% of adults in the United States – or about 58.5 million people – have been diagnosed with general arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus or fibromyalgia. The number has increased by 4.1 million from the previous set of CDC estimates, which covers the years 2013-2015.
In other words, the number of people with these conditions in the United States is estimated at almost the population of California and Florida combined.
“Population aging is one of the factors in the growing number of people with arthritis, although arthritis is not an inevitable part of aging,” said the report’s lead author and CDC epidemiologist. Other things, such as obesity and poverty, probably also play a role, she says.
In fact, arthritis conditions were particularly common in certain groups: 52% of those who could not work or were disabled reported being diagnosed with them. The researchers also found that several groups made up a high percentage of all with arthritis, including women (59.3%), those who were obese or overweight (74.2%) and those who were not active enough (58%).
Researchers also estimate that 25.7 million people – 44% of those with arthritis and 10% of all adults in the United States – face restrictions on their activities due to joint stiffness and pain.
“The degree of restraint can vary from person to person,” says Theis. “For example, the pain in a knee of an arthritis respondent could limit their work in loading food. Pain in the arm of another respondent from arthritis can limit them in playing tennis with friends. There may be respondents with hip pain or ankle stiffness from arthritis, which limits how many hours they can sit or stand. “
Restrictions can be particularly exhausting in some cases, as people who have them “may have reached the point where they decide which days to shop for groceries, do housework, carry out orders, or even interact with friends and family based on the extent of their pain and fatigue from arthritis, ”she says.
Several groups of people are more likely to have activity restrictions, including those who are poor and those with “severe psychological distress,” according to the report.
In terms of specific conditions, how often people have osteoarthritis, which occurs when bones deteriorate, can be affected by the aging American population, the increase in obesity and the behavior of the potato couch, says LaValley.
“There are also some thoughts that there may be environmental factors that increase the risk of certain types of arthritis, but nothing definite,” he said. “More attention can be paid to arthritis, which leads to more people being diagnosed or even suspected of having arthritis. “
Why can poverty be linked to arthritis? “There are almost certainly occupational exposures that put people at risk for osteoarthritis – having to kneel, bend and lift heavy things – or other musculoskeletal disorders such as low back pain,” says LaVally. “These exposures are most likely in jobs that would mostly go to people with few other opportunities due to lower levels of income and education. People in these jobs are also likely to be exposed to financial stress, which leads to increased psychological stress and less time to take care of their health. “
The new CDC report suggests that there are many ways to tackle arthritis, including training in treatment and prevention plus more focus on improving inequalities in society.