Prevalence of Arthritis in the U.S. Found to Be Higher Than Current Estimates

(Newswire.net — March 15, 2022) Orlando, FL — It has long been known that the prevalence of arthritis in the U.S. remains increasingly high. However, in a recent study, its rates have been found to be substantially underestimated.

This research was carried out and published in The Arthritis & Rheumatology. 

It is worth noting that a single survey question is what the current national estimates of arthritis rely on. This question asks the subjects whether they recall ever being told by a doctor that they have arthritis, without the use of information in the joint symptoms of patients that are available in the survey. 

S. Reza Jafarzadeh, DVM, MPVM, Ph.D., and David T. Felson, MD, MPH, of Boston University School of Medicine, developed a method for arthritis surveillance.

This method is based on doctor-diagnosed arthritis, chronic joint symptoms, and whether the duration of symptoms exceeded three months.

In this analysis of the 2015 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), the investigators have shown that this condition happens to a much higher percentage of the adult population in the United States, and at an age younger than previously thought. 

Of the 33,672 subjects, it has further been found that 19.3 percent of men and 16.7 percent of women belonging to the age bracket of between 18 and 64 years reported joint symptoms. It is further worth noting they were without a concurrent report of doctor-diagnosed arthritis. 

The investigators have further shown that for those 65 years and older, the respective proportions were 15.7 percent and 13.5 percent.

“Our findings are important because of underestimated, yet enormous, economic and public health impacts of arthritis including healthcare costs and costs from loss of productivity and disability, including in adults younger than 65 years of age,” said Dr. Jafarzadeh. 

It is important to keep in mind that in various research studies, it has been found there is an increasing rate of surgeries like total knee replacement that end up outpacing obesity rates in recent years.

Arthritis has remained incurable despite the number of research studies carried out to investigate the remedies helpful in managing this condition. There is a therapeutic remedy called glucosamine experts particularly found helpful.

Glucosamine is a therapeutic remedy that can be found in seafood and is popularized by its joint cartilage-protecting benefits. It is not just used by individuals with arthritis, but also athletes. 

Formulas like Divine Bounty Glucosamine are even resorted to as a safer alternative to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (https://www.amazon.com/Glucosamine-Sulfate-Supplement-2000mg-serving/dp/B0126ZF0B0).