Arthritis is a medical condition that causes inflammation of one or more joints. It can cause pain, swelling, stiffness, and limited movements. This joint disorder involves breakdown of cartilages which protect the joint and ensure smooth movements. These cartilages also act as shock absorbers when there is pressure exerted on the joints. Absence of cartilages can cause pain, swelling, inflammation and stiffness.

There has been a rise in the number of cases of arthritis in the last few years. The current statistics reads that almost 50 million adults in the US are suffering from arthritis every year which comes to around 1 in 5 adults. Almost a million cases are diagnosed with arthritis every year. It is also one of the most common causes of disability and affects the quality of life of 50 million people in the US.

Study report

Recent study reports state that obesity is the main cause of arthritis in obese people affecting 1 in 4 Americans. In the obese category the statistics run as follows:

• 1 in 3 women has arthritis
• 1 in 4 men has arthritis

This ratio is almost double to those whose weights are normal.

The people who were studying this report said that arthritis is common, costly and can disable the person in future. Statistics state that by 2030, around 67 million Americans will be diagnosed with arthritis. This is one of the reasons why arthritis is spreading a scare among doctors and researchers. As per the report, arthritis is a large and growing disorder among the general population of the United States, due to which the country is spending $128 millions every year, and is still the most common cause of disability in the general population. As people age, they tend to put on weight and become more susceptible to arthritis due to which it is anticipated that arthritis will increase considerably in the coming 20 years.

There was a questionnaire circulated among the arthritis patients which gave the following results.

• 94 % of people state that they were limited in a way in their usual activities due to arthritis symptoms.
• 34 % of them were obese women
• 25 % of them were obese men

As per as a statement, obesity is linked to

• Osteoarthritis
• disease progression
• disability
• total knee joint replacement
• poor clinical outcomes after knee joint replacement
• Quality of life due to restricted movements
• Health care expenses

A per treatment guidelines and public health recommendations, the only way to combat this disorder of arthritis and obesity is to ensure that obese people get more involved in weight management programs, physical activities and take better care of their health so as to lead a better quality of life. Healthcare providers and public health organizations are working together to increase awareness about arthritis and obesity. Most of them are aiming to treat obesity in order to control the number of cases of arthritis related to obesity.

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