Sustained Research Investment Necessary to Reduce Arthritis Burden
Research holds the key to preventing, controlling, and curing arthritis, the nation’s leading cause of disability. The prevalence, impact and disabling pain continues to increase. 50 million Americans—one in five adults—have arthritis now. Within 20 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate 67 million adults or 25% of the population will have arthritis. Arthritis limits the daily activities of 21 million Americans and accounts for $128 billion annually in economic costs.
Highlights of Current Research:
Research drives scientific innovation, develops new and better diagnostics, prevention strategies, and more effective treatments. Last year, scientists supported by the National Institutes of Health developed a technique that lead to the successful regrowth of damaged leg joints in animals. The accomplishment shows that it’s possible to lure the body's own cells to injured regions and generate new tissues, such as cartilage and bone. The finding could point the way toward joint renewal in humans, which could be a dramatic alternative to the 1 million joint replacement surgeries each year.
Arthritis also afflicts 300,000 children in the U.S. When left untreated, it can cause permanent damage to joints and tissues throughout the body. Juvenile arthritis has serious consequences that can limit a young person’s ability to grow properly, learn, and become a productive citizen in the workforce.
With a dire critical shortage of pediatric rheumatologist to treat these children, it is vital that the NIH and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases continue supporting a national network of cooperating clinical centers for the care and study of children with arthritis through the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA). This project is in the beginning stages of collecting data from the largest group of children with juvenile rheumatic diseases nationwide. The data will be available to pediatric rheumatologists throughout the U.S. The collection and distribution of such disease data are crucial to the understanding of juvenile arthritis and the development of new evidence-based treatments. NIH must continue to fund this invaluable resource to improve the outcomes and lives of children with juvenile arthritis as is currently done for children with cancer.
What Your Members of Congress Can Do to Act on this Issue:
To fully support research, like the examples highlighted above, which will lead to improved treatments, outcomes, and a cure for arthritis, the Arthritis Foundation requests Congress fund the National Institutes of Health in Fiscal Year 2012 at $35 billion, the minimum needed to sustain the current level of research and account for inflation.
Public investment in biomedical research holds the real promise of improving the lives of millions of Americans with arthritis. An investment in research is an investment in our nation’s future.
What You Can Do to Act on This Issue:
- Send a letter to your Members of Congress requesting their support for research at the NIH.
- Share this issue brief with your family, friends and community leaders.
- Learn about the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
