Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Nov 26;16(11):e74521.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.74521. eCollection 2024 Nov.

Prevalence and Economic Burden of Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis in the Medically Underserved Rio Grande Valley: A Retrospective Longitudinal Analysis

John M Gaddis  1 , Elias Arellano  2 , Ryan Bialaszewski  3 , Dominic Chau-Zanetti  2 , Tyler Torres  4 , Elizabeth Bergman  5 , Kelsey Baker  6 , Bharathi Gadad  7
Affiliations

Prevalence and Economic Burden of Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis in the Medically Underserved Rio Grande Valley: A Retrospective Longitudinal Analysis

John M Gaddis et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Introduction Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, two of the most common forms of arthritis worldwide, are chronic diseases affecting the joints. The Rio Grande Valley is characterized by an abundance of health disparities, with previous studies showing increased rates of multiple diseases and disorders in this region. This study aimed to determine both the prevalence and the risk-adjusted average cost of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis in the Rio Grande Valley and to compare them with the national average. We hypothesize that the prevalence and risk-adjusted average cost of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis in the Rio Grande Valley will be greater than the corresponding national averages. Methods Publicly accessible Medicare beneficiary data were utilized for our retrospective longitudinal, observational study. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis data for risk-adjusted average total cost, overall prevalence, sex-stratified prevalence, and ethnicity-stratified prevalence, from 2012 to 2022, were compared between the Rio Grande Valley and the national means using specific domains of the "Mapping Medicare Disparities by Population" tool. Independent t-tests and a Mann-Whitney U test compared prevalence rates and risk-adjusted average total cost means, respectively, between the Rio Grande Valley and the national averages. Results Overall, the prevalence of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis in the Rio Grande Valley was significantly higher than the national average (39.9% vs. 26.9%, p < 0.001). Women in the region exhibited significantly higher rates of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis compared to the national average (47.6% vs. 32.1%, p < 0.001), and a similar trend was seen among Hispanic residents (41.6%) compared to the national mean (32.1%) (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the risk-adjusted average total cost for individuals residing in the Rio Grande Valley ($16,084.40) significantly exceeded the risk-adjusted average total cost nationally ($13,073.90) (p < 0.001). Conclusion In the Rio Grande Valley, there is an increased prevalence of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis compared to the national mean of Medicare beneficiary patients, particularly in women and those of Hispanic heritage. The substantial increase in risk-adjusted average total cost to treat osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis highlights the economic burden faced by residents in the region.

Keywords: ethnicity and arthritis prevalence; health disparities rio grande valley; medicare data analysis; osteoarthritis prevalence; rheumatoid arthritis cost.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Prevalence of OA/RA in the RGV compared to the US national mean from 2012 to 2022.
OA: osteoarthritis; RA: rheumatoid arthritis; RGV: Rio Grande Valley.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Prevalence rates of OA/RA for females in the RGV compared to the US national mean from 2012 to 2022.
OA: osteoarthritis; RA: rheumatoid arthritis; RGV: Rio Grande Valley.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Prevalence rates of OA/RA for males in the RGV compared to the US national mean from 2012 to 2022.
OA: osteoarthritis, RA: rheumatoid arthritis, RGV: Rio Grande Valley.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Prevalence rates of OA/RA for Hispanics in the RGV compared to the US national mean from 2012 to 2022.
OA: osteoarthritis; RA: rheumatoid arthritis; RGV: Rio Grande Valley.
Figure 5
Figure 5. Prevalence rates of OA/RA for Caucasians in the RGV compared to the US national mean from 2012 to 2022.
OA: osteoarthritis; RA: rheumatoid arthritis; RGV: Rio Grande Valley.
Figure 6
Figure 6. Risk-adjusted ATC of OA/RA in the RGV compared to the US national mean from 2012 to 2022.
OA: osteoarthritis; RA: rheumatoid arthritis; ATC: average total cost; RGV: Rio Grande Valley.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis clinical practice guidelines provide few complementary and alternative medicine therapy recommendations: a systematic review. Ng JY, Azizudin AM. Clin Rheumatol. 2020;39:2861–2873. - PubMed
    1. Zinc and cadmium in the aetiology and pathogenesis of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Frangos T, Maret W. Nutrients. 2020;13:53. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Metabolomics of synovial fluid and infrapatellar fat pad in patients with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. Nieminen P, Hämäläinen W, Savinainen J, et al. Inflammation. 2022;45:1101–1117. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Osteopontin: a bone-derived protein involved in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis immunopathology. Martín-Márquez BT, Sandoval-García F, Corona-Meraz FI, et al. Biomolecules. 2023;13:502. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Osteoarthritis. Martel-Pelletier J, Barr AJ, Cicuttini FM, et al. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016;2:16072. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources