Skip to main content

CDC Says 1 in 5 Have Arthritis

In the United States, doctor-diagnosed arthritis is a common and widespread chronic condition (1,2). Arthritis is a leading cause of disability (3) and is projected to affect 78.4 million adults by 2040.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has analyzed 2013–2015 the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to provide revalence estimates of arthritis and arthritis-attributable activity limitations.

They have estimated that 54.4 million adults (22.7%) have doctor-diagnosed arthritis, and that nearly 24 million adults with arthritis had activity limitations attributable to arthritis. This number has increased 20% since 2002.

Interestingly, nearly half of all adults with heart disease or diabetes have arthritis as do 30% of adults with obesity.

NHIS is an annual, nationally representative, in-person interview survey of the health status and behaviors of the civilians drawn from the U.S. adult population.

Thus, the prevalence of arthritis is high, especially among adults with comorbid conditions.

ADD THE FIRST COMMENT

If you are a health practitioner, you may to comment.

Due to the nature of these comment forums, only health practitioners are allowed to comment at this time.

Disclosures
The author has no conflicts of interest to disclose related to this subject