It’s a problem that’s bad and getting worse: The CDC reported yesterday that more than 22 percent of Americans have arthritis, and a million new cases are diagnosed every year.
“Arthritis is a large and growing public health problem in the United States, resulting in costs of $128 billion annually, and continues to be the most common cause of disability,” the CDC said.
The obesity epidemic (obesity is a major risk factor for arthritis) and an aging population means prevalence of the ailment will increase significantly over the next two decades, the agency added.
“The ageing of our population, combined with the severity of obesity, combine to worsen the problem of osteoarthritis, the most common form of the ailment,” said Dr. Ross, who is in fact a rheumatologist by training. “The miraculous advances in joint replacement, especially of the hip and knee, have helped to relieve much suffering and disability — very important considering that there is no drug therapy that can slow down the progress of this type of arthritis.”
The less common but more aggressive rheumatoid arthritis has yielded to some extent to advances in immune-modulating drug discoveries, he added.
