According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), arthritis is highly prevalent among adults in the United States. The CDC also points out that arthritis is the nation's leading cause of disability and is associated with substantial activity limitation, work disability, reduced quality of life, and high health-care costs.

The latest statistics from the CDC indicate that an estimated 46 million adults in the United States reported being told by a doctor that they have some form of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus, or fibromyalgia. Doctor-diagnosed arthritis was reported by 21 percent, or 1 in 5, of adults in the United States. In 2002, 51 percent of adults seventy-five years old and over reported having received a diagnosis of arthritis.

There are 25.9 million women with doctor-diagnosed arthritis, while 16.8 million men have doctor-diagnosed arthritis. According to the CDC:

• Approximately 21 million adults have osteoarthritis.

• About 2.1 million adults have rheumatoid arthritis.

• About 5.1 million adults report doctor-diagnosed gout.

• An estimated 3.7 million adults have fibromyalgia.

Prevalence statistics according to age revealed that:

• Approximately 300,000 children under seventeen years old have juvenile arthritis.

• 7.9 percent (8.5 million) of people eighteen to forty-four years old have doctor-diagnosed arthritis.

• 28.8 percent (18.5 million) of people forty-five to sixty-four years old have doctor-diagnosed arthritis.

• 47.8 percent (15.7 million) of people sixty-five and over report having doctor-diagnosed arthritis.

As you may expect, people who report doctor-diagnosed arthritis have significantly worse Health Related Quality of Life measures than people without arthritis, twice as many unhealthy days, and three times as many activity limitations than people who do not have arthritis.

The prevalence statistics are striking. According to the Arthritis Foundation, about 80 percent of adults have arthritis or know someone who has arthritis. Though the disease is often associated with an aging population, it is important to remember that statistics show 68 percent of people with arthritis or chronic joint symptoms are under sixty-five years old.