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The Heartbreak and Pain of Osteoarthritis
Arthritis. It is a word that, especially in the US, conjures images of old people holding their backs and complaining it is going to rain. However, that image isn’t quite correct as arthritis greatly affects millions of people’s lives, ages 25 and up all over the world.
One type of arthritis, osteoarthritis (OA), is a global disease found in every country and region in the world. Worldwide, there are approximately 32 billion people who have one or more of the 100 forms of arthritis. That number includes 40 million people in the United States and 180 million in India.
In a book published by the Arthritis Foundation, arthritis in all its forms is ranked fifth in the most debilitating diseases in the world.
Osteoarthritis Costs to People and Countries
Osteoarthritis causes an increased inability to move, and productivity decreases markedly. While many people on the globe remain on the job with osteoarthritis, their reduced failure to perform their duties causes many problems.
This lower productivity often doesn’t only mean an increase in damage done to a worker’s already hurting joints. It can also shatter economic growth in developing countries. The costs to a struggling economy can be staggering, and end growth in some vulnerable societies.
