| Abstract | Arthritis and rheumatic conditions (i.e., arthritis) are responsible for major health care expenditures and disability
burdens. The impact of arthritis is not restrained by national boundaries. It is one of the most prevalent chronic
conditions and is a leading cause of disability in Australia
(1), Canada (2,3), Europe (4), the United Kingdom (5), and
the United States (6,7), affecting an estimated 3 million
Australians, 6 million Canadians, 8 million in the UK,
almost 43 million people in the US, and 103 million across
Europe. With the aging of the baby boomers, these numbers and the associated disabilities will quickly escalate.
By 2020 in the US alone, arthritis is projected to affect 60
million people, and the activities of 12 million people may
be limited by arthritis (6).
The growing magnitude of people affected by arthritis
motivates the need to review what is known about its
national costs to identify areas where current information
is lacking. In addition, it is important to determine targets
for public health efforts that will reduce the costs of and
burden from arthritis. This knowledge will facilitate planning research agendas that support informed public policy
decisions.
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