Disease Focus
on Arthritis
Facts and Statistics from the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC):
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Number of people affected: Direct Medical Costs: Total Medical Care and Lost Wages: Number of people affected: Direct Medical Costs: Total Medical Care and Lost Wages: |
Year 1998 7 million people $15.2 billion per year $64 billion per year Year 2020 60 million people $130.72 billion $550.4 billion |
An annual economic impact of half a trillion dollars is mind boggling, who'll pay for it? But more important than the cost is the fact that by 2020 an estimated 1 out of every 5 people will spend every hour of every day afflicted with the crippling pain of arthritis.
Osteoarthritis develops slowly over many years. Is it an inevitable part of aging? Is there any hope for those who want to avoid being part of the suffering 20%? The notion that arthritis is part of aging is based statistically on an unhealthy aging population where the majority of individuals did nothing to avoid the development of arthritis. They just didn't know any better!
Aging is a fact of life, but start early to minimize unhealthy aging. It takes joint cartilage to make joint cartilage, and if you let yours wear down to nothing it may have permanent consequences. Also, research studies** on medical intervention using aspirin and similar Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAID) have proven that those drugs actually accelerate cartilage destruction and inhibit cartilage synthesis. OUCH! For obvious reasons you should try to stay away from or minimize the use of NSAIDs.
Shield, M.J. "Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Their Effects on Cartilage Synthesis and Renal Function," European Journal of Rheumatology and Inflammation. vol 13:1993, p 7-16.
Brooks, Potter, and Buchanan. "NSAID and Osteoarthritis— Help or Hindrance." Journal of Rheumatology. 9:1982, p 3-5.
Newman and Ling. "Acetabular Bone Destruction Related to Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs." Lancet. 2:1985. p 11-13.