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. 2018 Feb;108(2):256-258.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2017.304179. Epub 2017 Dec 21.

Various Types of Arthritis in the United States: Prevalence and Age-Related Trends From 1999 to 2014

Juyoung Park  1 , Angelico Mendy  1 , Edgar R Vieira  1
Affiliations

Various Types of Arthritis in the United States: Prevalence and Age-Related Trends From 1999 to 2014

Juyoung Park et al. Am J Public Health. 2018 Feb.

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the prevalence trends of osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and other types of arthritis in the United States from 1999 to 2014.

Methods: We analyzed data on 43 706 community-dwelling adults aged 20 years and older who participated in the 1999-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. We accounted for survey design and sampling weights so that estimates were nationally representative. We assessed temporal trends in age-standardized arthritis prevalence by using joinpoint regression.

Results: Age-adjusted prevalence of arthritis was 24.7% (OA = 9.7%; RA = 4.2%; other arthritis = 2.8%; "don't know" type = 8.0%). Prevalence of OA increased from 6.6% to 14.3%, whereas RA prevalence decreased from 5.9% to 3.8%. Increase in OA prevalence was significant in both genders; in non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks, and Hispanics; and in people with high socioeconomic status. Decrease in RA prevalence was more pronounced in men, non-Hispanic Blacks, and participants with low income or obesity.

Conclusions: Between 1999 and 2014, nearly one quarter of American adults reported arthritis. The prevalence of OA has more than doubled over time, whereas RA prevalence has declined.

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Figures

FIGURE 1—
FIGURE 1—
Age-Standardized Prevalence of Overall Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Osteoarthritis (OA), Other, and “Don’t Know” Type of Arthritis: United States, 1999–2014 Note. There was a significant decreasing trend in prevalence of RA (annual percent change [APC] = −5.20; P < .01) and an increasing trend in prevalence of OA (APC = 8.80; P < .01). The prevalence of participants who did not know their type of arthritis decreased (APC = −6.77; P < .05).
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