Section V

The Burden of Arthritis, United States

NOTE: This document is provided for historical purposes only.

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The Burden of Arthritis as a Cause of Disability

Arthritis and other rheumatic conditions are the leading cause of disability in the United States. They encompass more than 100 diseases that affect the joints, the tissues surrounding the joints, and other connective tissue. The pain and disability that accompany arthritis can be lessened through early diagnosis and appropriate management, including weight control, physical activity, and other self-management programs that increase people’s ability to manage their condition.

• Doctor-diagnosed arthritis affects 49 million adults, or nearly one of every four Americans, making it one of the most common health conditions in the United States.
• Arthritis is the most common cause of disability in the United States. Over 8 million Americans are limited in some activity because of arthritis.
• Arthritis and its related disability will increase. In 2030, an estimated 71 million Americans will report doctor-diagnosed arthritis.
• In 1997, arthritis and other rheumatic conditions resulted in 36 million physician visits and 750,000 hospitalizations. The estimated total cost associated with arthritis (including medical care and lost productivity) exceeded $86 billion.

Percentage of Adults Who Reported Doctor-Diagnosed Arthritis,* 2001

Source: CDC., Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
Note: Unlike the previous report, this report focuses on adults with self-reported, doctor-diagnosed arthritis. Previously, adults with either doctor-diagnosed arthritis or chronic joint symptoms were included under the heading of arthritis.

[A text description of this map is also available.]

Number and Percentage of Adults Who Reported Doctor-Diagnosed Arthritis, by Age Group, 2001

Number and Percentage of Adults Who Reported Doctor-Diagnosed Arthritis, by Sex, Race, and Ethnicity,* 2001   Women Men  Non-Hispanic White* Non- Hispanic Black* Hispanic* State† Number‡ Percent Number‡ Percent Number‡ Percent Number‡ Percent Number‡ Percent Alabama 639 36.2 373 23.6 738 30.6 197 28.2 21 33.6 Alaska 45 20.9 30 12.9 53 17.2 2 18.5 1 5.5 Arizona 521 26.5 385 20.5 704 26.5 34 26.9 94 13.2 Arkansas 330 31.3 218 22.9 447 27.3 45 20.8 10 18.0 California 3,014 23.8 1,706 13.7 2,927 23.1 327 23.1 1,010 12.9 Colorado 370 22.3 276 17.3 540 21.6 21 21.6 55 11.5 Connecticut 347 25.4 194 15.6 466 22.3 27 17.4 26 12.0 Delaware 88 28.2 52 16.1 114 25.1 15 16.9 3 16.6 District of Columbia 58 23.7 34 16.3 24 16.8 61 25.9 2 5.6 Florida 1,991 30.3 1,192 19.8 2,390 28.2 246 22.0 415 17.8 Georgia 879 27.4 540 18.3 955 24.3 361 21.7 27 19.7 Hawaii 67 14.6 42 9.0 39 14.8 1 3.2 6 8.4 Idaho 118 25.1 84 18.5 185 22.0 N/A N/A 7 17.5 Illinois 1,306 27.0 813 18.2 1,573 24.3 305 27.4 89 9.5 Indiana 749 31.5 467 21.5 1,081 27.6 67 25.4 20 11.3 Iowa 289 25.2 174 16.6 436 21.0 N/A N/A 8 20.5 Kansas 276 26.8 190 19.7 414 23.8 17 24.5 14 14.0 Kentucky 543 34.0 369 25.3 829 30.5 48 23.9 10 24.0 Louisiana 473 27.9 265 17.3 470 23.4 195 22.5 20 21.7 Maine 148 29.7 97 21.0 227 25.1 N/A N/A N/A N/A Maryland 531 25.3 332 17.3 607 24.0 195 20.8 22 9.2 Massachusetts 659 25.6 355 15.3 897 22.0 29 17.1 52 13.7 Michigan 1,282 33.2 834 23.5 1,655 28.4 251 33.6 36 16.6 Minnesota 447 23.8 289 16.3 688 20.7 12 13.0 13 21.7 Mississippi 331 30.3 204 21.0 340 25.9 160 25.8 8 18.7 Missouri 680 30.8 450 22.5 994 27.8 62 19.0 13 19.8 Montana 101 29.7 60 18.3 143 23.9 N/A N/A 5 30.7 Nebraska 156 23.8 101 16.7 241 21.5 6 21.7 6 6.9 Nevada 206 26.9 120 15.6 242 22.3 12 18.4 18 10.2 New Hampshire 118 24.3 80 17.6 188 21.4 N/A N/A 3 14.7 New Jersey 874 25.7 502 16.2 1,048 24.0 148 21.4 113 13.5 New Mexico 170 25.2 116 18.2 163 25.8 5 21.1 95 18.1 New York 2,072 27.1 1,197 17.5 2,348 25.4 321 20.0 430 17.6 North Carolina 930 28.7 515 17.4 1,094 24.6 262 22.3 18 8.2 North Dakota 61 25.7 37 16.0 91 20.8 N/A N/A N/A N/A Ohio 1,291 28.9 894 22.2 1,909 26.2 140 21.0 53 22.8 Oklahoma 417 31.1 275 22.3 570 28.4 25 19.3 22 12.8 Oregon 355 26.6 213 16.9 504 23.2 N/A N/A 18 9.0 Pennsylvania 1,542 31.0 945 21.2 2,111 26.5 190 27.2 59 21.3 Rhode Island 128 30.0 82 21.6 182 27.5 9 28.5 11 14.2 South Carolina 439 27.7 283 19.7 503 24.6 163 22.4 17 15.9 South Dakota 69 24.4 52 19.5 112 22.1 N/A N/A 3 28.2 Tennessee 683 29.9 465 22.5 972 27.6 128 21.1 18 18.7 Texas 1,926 24.6 1,081 14.6 2,066 24.2 254 19.2 493 11.2 Utah 186 24.6 105 14.6 269 20.5 N/A N/A 13 15.6 Vermont 61 25.5 39 17.4 95 21.7 N/A N/A N/A N/A Virginia 786 28.1 454 17.3 938 23.8 178 22.5 21 9.7 Washington 568 25.1 340 15.7 802 21.4 15 19.6 23 12.3 West Virginia 251 34.3 172 26.2 370 29.7 8 28.2 N/A N/A Wisconsin 557 27.0 433 22.4 876 24.6 36 28.7 23 24.4 Wyoming 40 22.1 30 17.2 65 20.0 N/A N/A 2 16.7                       United States 30,171 27.5 18,556 18.2 37,694 25.0 4,592 22.8 3,461 13.9                       * Race and ethnicity were combined to form 3 groups: white non-Hispanic, black non-Hispanic, and Hispanic. Respondents who did not fall into one of the three groups were excluded from the race and ethnicity analysis. † A dash Indicates too few respondents (< 50) to calculate a reliable estimate. ‡ Number in 1,000's. Source: CDC., Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2001. Note: Unlike the previous report, this report focuses on adults with self-reported, doctor-diagnosed arthritis. Previously, adults with either doctor-diagnosed arthritis or chronic joint symptoms were included under the heading of arthritis.       Proportion of National Arthritis* Cases and Estimated Direct, Indirect, and Total Costs† of Arthritis and Other Rheumatic Conditions, by State, 1997 State % national cases Direct Indirect Total‡ Alabama 2.08 1,064 730 1,794 Alaska 0.15 77 53 129 Arizona 1.86 951 653 1,604 Arkansas 1.13 578 397 975 California 9.69 4,955 3,402 8,357 Colorado 1.32 675 463 1,138 Connecticut 1.11 568 390 957 Delaware 0.29 148 102 250 District of Columbia 0.19 97 67 164 Florida 6.53 3,339 2,293 5,632 Georgia 2.91 1,488 1,022 2,510 Hawaii 0.22 112 77 190 Idaho 0.42 215 147 362 Illinois 4.35 2,224 1,527 3,752 Indiana 2.50 1,278 878 2,156 Iowa 0.95 486 334 819 Kansas 0.96 491 337 828 Kentucky 1.87 956 657 1,613 Louisiana 1.51 772 530 1,302 Maine 0.50 256 176 431 Maryland 1.77 905 622 1,527 Massachusetts 2.08 1,064 730 1,794 Michigan 4.34 2,219 1,524 3,743 Minnesota 1.51 772 530 1,302 Mississippi 1.10 562 386 949 Missouri 2.32 1,186 815 2,001 Montana 0.33 169 116 285 Nebraska 0.53 271 186 457 Nevada 0.67 343 235 578 New Hampshire 0.41 210 144 354 New Jersey 2.82 1,442 990 2,432 New Mexico 0.59 302 207 509 New York 6.71 3,431 2,356 5,787 North Carolina 2.96 1,514 1,039 2,553 North Dakota 0.20 102 70 172 Ohio 4.49 2,296 1,577 3,872 Oklahoma 1.42 726 499 1,225 Oregon 1.16 593 407 1,000 Pennsylvania 5.10 2,608 1,791 4,399 Rhode Island 0.43 220 151 371 South Carolina 1.48 757 520 1,276 South Dakota 0.25 128 88 216 Tennessee 2.36 1,207 829 2,035 Texas 6.17 3,155 2,166 5,321 Utah 0.60 307 211 517 Vermont 0.20 102 70 172 Virginia 2.54 1,299 892 2,191 Washington 1.86 951 653 1,604 West Virginia 0.87 445 305 750 Wisconsin 2.03 1,038 713 1,751 Wyoming 0.14 72 49 121 Total§ 100.0 51,132 35,113 86,245 Median — 726 499 1,225           * Doctor-diagnosed arthritis cases. † In millions of dollars. Direct costs are medical care expenditures. Indirect costs are lost earnings. Total costs are the sum of direct and indirect costs. ‡ State-specific direct and indirect values do not add to state total because of rounding. § State-specific values do not add to national total because of rounding. Source: CDC. Direct and indirect costs of arthritis and other rheumatic conditions — United States, 1997. MMWR 2003;52(46):1124-1127. (Note: MMWR will publish an updated version early in 2004.)     Privacy Policy | Accessibility Home | Contact Us CDC Home | Search | Health Topics A-Z Page last reviewed: October 31, 2005 Page last modified: October 31, 2005 Archive Date: April 8, 2008 United States Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion