A government report released recently found the number of adults with arthritis is rising by about 1 million people each year, and along with it, the debilitating impact of the disease. The report reaffirms previous predictions that cases of arthritis would rise rapidly with the aging of the population. However, the impact of arthritis on activity limitations is exceeding previous estimates, says the Arthritis Foundation.

“The sharp rise in activity limitations is alarming,” says Arthritis Foundation President and CEO, Ann M. Palmer. “More people are hurting when they walk and climb the stairs, and they may be curbing activities they love due to severe pain and limited mobility caused by the disease. We must reverse this trend by investing more dollars in research to find a cure for arthritis and providing health intervention programs to help people be more active today.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study, arthritis affects the daily activities of about 23 million adults, up from 21 million during 2007-2009, and not far from the projection of 25 million that wasn’t expected until 2030.

The report also confirms the disease is common, impacting about 23 percent of the adult population. The 2013 report shows that the number of adults with doctor-diagnosed arthritis climbed from roughly 50 million to 53 million over the last three years. Arthritis also carries a heavy financial burden, costing the U.S. economy $128 billion annually.

“The number of U.S. adults with arthritis is increasing. This amounts to an average increase of approximately 2,400 individuals per day,” says Dr. Wayne H. Giles, Director of the Division of Population Health at the CDC. “Because arthritis occurs so often with other conditions like diabetes and heart disease, arthritis limitations may be interfering with the recommended management of those conditions, especially in regards to physical activity.”

Among the report’s findings from 2010-2012:

Arthritis impacts daily activities of:

• Roughly one in 10 adults in the U.S.
• Nearly half of all adults with arthritis
• More than 15 percent of obese adults
• More than a quarter of adults with heart disease or diabetes

Arthritis commonly co-occurs with obesity, heart disease and diabetes:

• Half of all adults with heart disease or diabetes have arthritis
• One-third of obese adults have arthritis

After four decades on the decline, rheumatoid arthritis is on the upswing among women in the United States. That’s the finding presented by Mayo Clinic investigators at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals in San Francisco.

“This is a significant finding and an indicator that more research needs to be done to better understand the causes and treatment of this devastating disease,” says Sherine Gabriel, M.D., Mayo Clinic rheumatologist and lead investigator on the study.

From 1955 to 1994, the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis had continually been on the decline. That apparently changed beginning in the mid-1990s. When Mayo researchers analyzed patient data from early 1995 to the start of 2005, they found that both the incidence and prevalence (percentage) of the condition were rising.

Compared to the previous decade when approximately 36 women out of every 100,000 developed rheumatoid arthritis each year, the new study showed a jump to 54 women in the more recent decade. The incidence for men remained at about 29 per 100,000. Overall, the percentage of the entire population with the condition rose from 0.85 percent to 0.95 percent.

Researchers say it’s not clear why this is happening, but an environmental factor may have a role in the shifting incidence and prevalence among women.

The study included 350 adult patients from Olmsted County, MN, whose average age was 56.5 years. The majority, 69 percent, were women.

How do you know if you will get arthritis? Are there tests and physical cues you should be aware of to determine if you will or have arthritis? The Arthritis Foundation offers excellent information and resources.

Sources: Mayo Clinic, Arthritis Foundation