Arthritis reported by almost one in four U.S. adults

Arthritis reported by almost one in four U.S. adults

(HealthDay)—Almost one-quarter of U.S. adults report arthritis, according to research published in the Oct. 8 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Kristina A. Theis, Ph.D., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues analyzed combined National Health Interview Survey data from 2016 to 2018 to update national prevalence estimates for arthritis and arthritis-attributable activity limitation (AAAL) among U.S. adults.

The researchers found that arthritis was reported by an estimated 58.5 million adults aged 18 years or older (23.7 percent), while AAAL was reported by 25.7 million (10.4 percent overall; 43.9 percent among those with arthritis). Adults with , few , and poor overall health had the highest prevalence of both arthritis and AAAL. Groups for which half or more reported having arthritis included respondents aged 65 years and older (50.4 percent), adults who were unable to work or disabled (52.3 percent), and adults with fair/poor self-rated health (51.2 percent), joint symptoms in the past 30 days (52.2 percent), activities-of-daily-living disability (54.8 percent), or instrumental activities-of-daily-living disability (55.9 percent).

"Because and other contributing factors (e.g., obesity) are expected to sustain these trends, , medical, and senior and other service systems face substantial challenges in addressing the needs of adults with arthritis, who already account for nearly one quarter of U.S. adults," the authors write.

More information: Abstract/Full Text

Copyright © 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Citation: Arthritis reported by almost one in four U.S. adults (2021, October 8) retrieved 24 April 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-10-arthritis-adults.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

Two-thirds of adults with arthritis engage in physical activity

2 shares

Feedback to editors