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Your observations are very correct. A recent study released by the CDC says that one in five adults in the United States has some form of arthritis. This means more than 46 million people are affected by this disease.
And two-thirds of those adults are younger than 65. But this may be because better diagnostic tests make it possible now to identify the condition earlier than ever. Whether or not there are social or cultural factors is being studied. No conclusions have been reached yet.
Although we think about arthritis as being osteoarthritis (OA) or rheumatoid arthritis (RA), there are actually many other forms of this disease. These include gout, fibromyalgia, lupus, ankylosing spondylitis, Sjögren's disease, and Giant cell arteritis (to name a few).
The general trend for all of these conditions is upwards. The only exception is RA, which has declined by 50 per cent in the last 15 years. The reasons for this are unknown.
Scientists are predicting an epidemic of age-related rheumatologic disorders in the near future. With the first of our baby boomers turning 65 in 2008, more efforts are needed to find ways to prevent these diseases.
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