Prevalence of arthritis predicted to increase to 25.9 percent of all adults by 2040
THURSDAY, July 7, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The prevalence of arthritis and arthritis-attributable activity limitation is projected to increase in U.S. adults by 2040, according to a study published online June 24 in Arthritis & Rheumatology.
Jennifer M. Hootman, Ph.D., from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and colleagues used a newer baseline for estimates to examine the projected prevalence of arthritis and arthritis-attributable activity limitations among U.S. adults. Baseline prevalence data were obtained from the National Health Interview Survey for 2010 to 2012; arthritis prevalence and arthritis-attributable activity limitation were stratified according to age and sex. By multiplying these baseline estimates by the age- and sex-stratified population estimates projected for 2015 to 2040, the projected prevalence was calculated.
The researchers found that 52.5 million adults in the United States had doctor-diagnosed arthritis in 2010 to 2012 (22.7 percent of all adults) and that 22.7 million had arthritis-attributable activity limitation (9.8 percent). The number of U.S. adults with doctor-diagnosed arthritis is projected to increase to 78.4 million by 2040 (25.9 percent of adults), and the number of those with arthritis-attributable activity limitation is projected to reach 34.6 million (11.4 percent of adults).
“Updated projections suggest that arthritis and arthritis-attributable activity limitation will remain large and growing problems for clinical and public health systems, which must plan and create policies and resources to address these future needs,” the authors write.
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