Arthritis Foundation

Our Mission The Arthritis Foundation's mission is to improve lives through leadership in the prevention, control and cure of arthritis and related diseases. Our Vision The Arthritis Foundation's vision is to create a world free of arthritis pain. Arthritis is Unacceptable Because. . . More than 50 million American adults (one in every five) have doctor diagnosed arthritis. Arthritis affects 300,000 children under the age of 18. Two-thirds of people with arthritis are younger than 65 years old. By the year 2030, an estimated 67 million American adults will have arthritis. Arthritis and related conditions cost the U.S. economy $128 billion per year in medical care and indirect expenses, including lost wages and productivity. People of all genders, ages and races can get arthritis. However, women are more likely to get it than men. Arthritis affects more than 34 million Caucasians, more than 4.6 million African-Americans and 3.1 million Hispanics. Arthritis causes work limitations in the United States for 40 percent of people with the disease. Arthritis limits the daily activities of 21 million Americans. This includes 9.4 percent of the total adult population and 42.4 percent of adults with arthritis. There are 2.5 times as many women as there are men with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The total annual cost of osteoarthritis (OA) per person living with it is approximately $5,700. Arthritis prevalence increases with age: 50 percent of adults age 65 and older have a form of arthritis. Arthritis annually results in: 44 million outpatient visits About 1 million hospitalizations More than 9,000 deaths