Arthritis Month: A
Time For Learning New Ways To Manage
Women
Have Highest Rate of Rheumatoid Arthritis
By the year 2020,
arthritis will likely affect one in five Americans, or almost
60 million people, according to estimates from both the Arthritis
Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC).
About 20.7 million
adults in the US have the most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis,
also called degenerative joint disease. Most persons over the
age of 75 are affected with osteoarthritis in at least one joint,
making this condition a leading cause of disability in the US.
Osteoarthritis is
a condition in which the cushioning cartilage between bones
wears away, according to the American Academy of
Orthopaedic Surgeons. The incidence of osteoarthritis
does increase significantly as people age.
Rheumatoid arthritis,
the most crippling form of arthritis, affects approximately
2.1 million Americans, and two to three times more women are
affected than men. Further, the average onset for rheumatoid
arthritis is between the ages of 20 and 45 years old.
"We're going to see
the numbers continue to increase over the next decade or two
as the baby boomers age," says Dr. John Klippel, medical director
of the Arthritis Foundation. "People are living longer. We're
an aging society. That is the problem."
Ignore
It, But It Will Not Go Away
An Arthritis Foundation
survey conducted last year revealed that 53 percent of respondents
were showing some symptoms of arthritis, yet many were not aware
of the significance. The survey also found that 67 percent of
respondents were at risk for arthritis, but 52 percent did not
know it. More than half said they had no plans to see their physician
about the health of their joints.
Health officials hope
to combat that lack of awareness during May, which has been
designated National Arthritis Month.
Arthritis is actually
an umbrella term for more than 100 different conditions ranging
from lupus to carpal tunnel syndrome to rheumatoid arthritis.
Right now, about 43 million Americans suffer from some form
of arthritis, making it a leading cause of disability in the
US.
"Once you get into
your late 40s and 50s, you start seeing osteoarthritis really
increase, so by the time you look at people in their 70s, the
vast majority of arthritis that occurs is osteoarthritis," Klippel
says.
There is no cure for
osteoarthritis, so physicians say the best they can do
is manage its painful symptoms.
"Standard therapy
is very limited because we don't have an established regimen
of halting the disease," says Dr. Sicy Lee, a clinical assistant
professor of medicine at the Hospital for Joint Diseases in
New York City. "We emphasize slowing down the progression of
the disease and making the patient more comfortable and more
functional."
Addressing
the Pain and Discomfort
Several drugs - both
prescription and over-the-counter - are available to deal with
the symptoms of osteoarthritis. These include both NSAIDs (non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs) including the newer Cox-2 inhibitors,
and analgesics such as acetaminophen.
There have also been
advances with viscosupplements, artificial joint fluids that
are injected into the knee. So far, viscosupplements are approved
only for the knee joint.
Dietary supplements
to help arthritis sufferers are also moving closer to the mainstream.
Glucosamine and chondroitin have received particular attention.
"There's increasing
evidence that not only do they relieve the signs and symptoms
of arthritis but may actually protect the cartilage and prevent
damage to the cartilage," Klippel says.
Finding ways to maintain
and enhance quality of life are also critical, Lee says. Trained
physical therapists can actually go to your home and assess
things such as doors, doorknobs, chairs, and hinges, and suggest
changes that will make life easier.
"A lot of it is actually
education for the patient to reduce daily stress," Lee says.
For an older person, strategies might include taking the escalator
or elevator instead of the stairs, having faucets that swivel
instead of turn, and taking advantage of machines, such as can
openers and windows that glide instead of slide.
For some people with
severe arthritis that impedes their ability to get around or
even get out of a chair, surgery to replace damaged joints may
become an option.
"One of the real major
advances has been in the areas of surgery, particularly total
joint replacement," Klippel says. "It's done in roughly half
a million people each year in this country and has substantially
improved mobility and quality of life, so surgery becomes a
very important option."
Researchers are also
exploring ways to get the body's natural cartilage to regenerate
and repair itself as well as developing drugs that might stimulate
the growth of cartilage.
"Osteoarthritis is
not inevitable," Klippel says. Attention to physical fitness
and weight can prevent the onset of the disease and stem its
progression. "Given the size of the problem, the public is going
to have to realize quickly the importance of staying fit and
keeping weight under control if they are going to prevent osteoarthritis,"
Klippel says.
Always consult your
physician for more information.
Online
Resources
(Our Organization
is not responsible for the content of Internet sites.)
American
Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
Arthritis
Foundation
Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
DES
Update, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
National
Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
(NIAMS), of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
National
Women's Health Information Center
US
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) |
May 2003
Women
Have Highest Rate of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Ignore
It, But It Will Not Go Away
Addressing
the Pain and Discomfort
What
Is Rheumatoid Arthritis?
What
Causes Rheumatoid Arthritis?
New
Resource on DES Available
Online
Resources
What
Is Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Rheumatoid arthritis,
a chronic, autoimmune disease, is the most crippling form of
arthritis and affects approximately 2.1 million Americans.
This chronic disease
is characterized by painful and stiff joints on both sides of
the body that may become enlarged and deformed. Rheumatoid arthritis
affects more women than men (75 percent of persons with rheumatoid
arthritis are women).
The disease most often
occurs between the ages of 20 and 45. Patients with rheumatoid
arthritis often also have osteoporosis, a progressive deterioration
of bone density.
What
Causes Rheumatoid Arthritis?
The exact cause of
rheumatoid arthritis of rheumatoid arthritis is not known. Rheumatoid
arthritis is an autoimmune disorder, which means the body's
immune system attacks its own healthy cells and tissues.
The response of the
body causes inflammation in and around the joints, which then
may lead to a destruction of the skeletal system.
Rheumatoid arthritis
also may have devastating effects to other organs, such as the
heart and lungs. Researchers believe certain factors, including
heredity, may contribute to the onset of the disease.
Always consult your
physician for more information.
In
Other Women's Health News:
New
Resource on DES Available
There's a new resource
for people seeking information about diethylstilbestrol (DES)
exposure and how it may affect them, their family and friends.
The DES Update Web
site, created by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), offers a self-assessment guide for
people who think they may have been exposed to DES, along with
information about health risks associated with exposure to DES,
a synthetic estrogen.
The site also provides
DES case studies, presentations and self-study materials for
doctors and other healthcare professionals.
DES was once prescribed
to prevent miscarriages or premature delivery. An estimated
5 million to 10 million people in the US were exposed to DES
between 1938 and 1971.
In 1971, the US Food
and Drug Administration advised physicians to stop prescribing
DES to pregnant women because it had been linked to a rare vaginal
cancer in girls and young women exposed to DES in the womb.
Additional research
found an increased risk of breast cancer for women prescribed
DES while they were pregnant. Women exposed to DES in the womb
have lifelong increased risks of rare vaginal and cervical cancer,
and reproductive complications and infertility.
Men who were exposed
to DES in the womb are at increased risk for noncancerous cysts
on the testicles.
Always consult your
physician for more information.
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