MHA Press Room

AHRQ: $32 billion spent to treat arthritis in 2005

Expenditures to treat arthritis in U.S. adults totaled $32 billion in 2005, according to a new report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. That includes ambulatory care (36%), inpatient care (31%), prescription drugs (21%) and home health care (12%). Roughly one in 10 U.S. adults, or 21 million, reported experiencing arthritis in 2005, according to the agency’s Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.

AHRQ: Hospitalizations for osteoarthritis rising sharply

Hospitalizations for osteoarthritis more than doubled from 322,000 in 1993 to 735,000 in 2006, according to a new analysis from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. In 2006, osteoarthritis was the principal diagnosis for about 90% of knee surgery hospitalizations and about half of hip replacement hospitalizations.

From 2000 to 2006, knee replacement surgery increased 65% while hip replacement surgery increased 21%. The analysis is based on data from the 2006 Nationwide Inpatient Sample, part of AHRQ's Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. Osteoarthritis is a painful disease resulting from deteriorating cartilage and bones rubbing together.

CDC reports on work limits caused by arthritis by state

One-quarter to one-half of working-age adults with arthritis say the condition limits their ability to work, according to a new state-by-state analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kentucky residents with arthritis were most likely to report it limited their ability to work (51.3%) and Nevada residents the least likely (25.1%), CDC said.

In every state, residents reporting work limitations due to arthritis were less likely to report being employed than other adults in their state. The analysis is based on data from the 2003 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey.

The report recommends greater use of interventions to help workers with arthritis become and stay employed. The health condition affects nearly 46 million adults nationally, a number expected to grow as the population ages.

[ via AHA News Now ]