1: Around 10 million people in the UK have arthritis.
[Source: Musculoskeletal Services Framework. Department of Health England (2006)]
2: 8.5 million people in the UK have osteoarthritis.
[Source: 1 in 5: The prevalence and Impact of Arthritis in the UK. Arthritis Care (2002)]
3: Around 700,000 people in the UK have rheumatoid arthritis.
[Source: Extrapolations of figures presented in Services for People with Rheumatoid Arthritis National Audit Office. July 2009]
4: The most frequent cause of chronic pain in the UK is arthritis.
[Source: Pain in Europe: A report - [SQ12 & Q1] - NFO World Group / Mundipharma International Ltd, 2003 -2008]
5: 77% of people with arthritis report that pain prevents them from sleeping though the night.
[Source: Arthritis Hurts: The Hidden Pain of Arthritis. Arthritis Care (2010)]
6: 36% of people with arthritis report that pain prevents them from having an intimate relationship.
[Source: Arthritis Hurts: The Hidden Pain of Arthritis. Arthritis Care (2010)]
7: 58% of people with arthritis regularly hide their pain from their loved ones.
[Source: Arthritis Hurts: The Hidden Pain of Arthritis. Arthritis Care (2010)]
8: 57% of people with arthritis would not visit their doctor or specialist about pain until it is 'unbearable'.
[Source: Arthritis Hurts: The Hidden Pain of Arthritis. Arthritis Care (2010)]
9: 87% of people with arthritis or joint pain are not under the care of a rheumatologist or orthopaedic surgeon.
[Source: Arthritis: The Big Picture, Arthritis Research UK (2002)]
10: The most common long-term condition in the UK is arthritis (28%) followed by heart conditions (16.8%).
[Source: British Household Panel Survey, Institute of Social and Economic Research 2001]
11: 93% of people with arthritis have difficulty walking and 37% can only walk a few steps.
[Source: Messier S, Arthritis and Rheumatism Vol 52: 2026-2032 (2005)]
12: 72% of people with arthritis meet the legal definition of 'disabled', as outlined in the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
[Source: 1 in 5: The Prevalence and Impact of Arthritis in the UK. Arthritis Care (2002)]
13: One third of people with rheumatoid arthritis will have stopped working within two years of disease onset.
[Source: Department of Health England. The Musculoskeletal Services Framework: A joint Responsibility - doing it differently (2006)]
14: One in four of all GP consultations in the UK relates to a musculoskeletal problem (arthritis).
[Source: Parroy S. - Joint Effects: the Impact of Allied Health Professionals on Orthopaedic and Musculoskeletal Change in Scotland (page 11) (2005)]
15: For each pound of bodyweight lost, there is a four pound reduction in knee stress among overweight and obese people with osteoarthritis of the knee.
[Source: Messier S, Arthritis and Rheumatism Vol 52: 2026-2032 (2005)]
Kate Llewelyn and Christine Edwards
15 June 2010, Arthritis Care