Arthritis might be much more common than previously thought, a new analysis suggests.
Researchers have long suspected that national arthritis estimates — based on self-reported diagnoses – may not capture all cases. To confirm their hunch they analysed federal health data to identify cases of both doctor-diagnosed arthritis and chronic joint symptoms lasting longer than three months.
They found that 56% of men and 69% of women over age 65 have signs of arthritis. Across all age groups this equated to a 68% higher than previously reported arthritis national estimate.