Invest in Arthritis Research
Greater Research Investment Needed to Reduce Significant Arthritis Burden
- Rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and juvenile arthritis are among the most common forms of arthritis, affecting 46 million or about 1 in 5 Americans.
- 294,000 or 1 out of every 250 children under the age of 17 have a form of arthritis.
- By the year 2030, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate 25% of the projected total adult population or 67 million adults aged 18 years and older will have doctor-diagnosed arthritis.
- 750,000 hospitalizations and 36 million outpatient visits annually are due to arthritis.
- Arthritis is the leading diagnosis for joint replacement, one of the fastest growing expenditures in the Medicare program.
- Arthritis costs the U.S. economy $128 billion – $81 billion in direct medical costs and $47 billion in indirect productivity costs.
- Less than 50% of working age adults with rheumatoid arthritis are still employed 10 years after disease onset.
- Nearly 19 million people experience work/activity limitations.
- Nearly 2/3 of people diagnosed with arthritis are under the age of 65.
The promise of federal support for arthritis research through the newly passed stimulus bill is greatly appreciated. However, it is important to note that as the number of people with arthritis increases, federal funding for arthritis research appears to have declined in real dollars over the past several years. A new research categorization process by the National Institutes of Health shows $232 million spent in Fiscal Year 2008 for arthritis research. http://report.nih.gov/rcdc/categories/ . This is a significant adjustment from previous reports of $339 million in the previous fiscal year. A more consistent and uniform reporting mechanism is appreciated. However, it is even clearer that additional funding for arthritis research is imperative for such a chronic debilitating disease with widespread prevalence.
An increased public investment in biomedical arthritis research holds the real promise of improving the lives of millions of Americans with arthritis. This investment will reduce the economic burden of arthritis on the U.S. economy with less disability payments, loss of productivity and expensive surgical interventions (joint replacement).
Congressional Request:
To support research that will lead to improved treatments and a potential cure for arthritis, the Arthritis Foundation requests $500 million for arthritis research. .
Print this Issue Brief on the need for increased investment in NIH arthritis research.
For more information about arthritis research or other policy initiatives, please contact the Arthritis Foundation’s Public Policy and Advocacy Department at (202) 887-1700.
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