The nation's #jointproblem: Arthritis will cause 25.9 million lost working days costing £3.43 billion by 2030

Arthritis Research UK, the UK’s leading arthritis charity, is today launching a major nationwide campaign to reveal the true impact of arthritis across society. The campaign will highlight that, either directly or indirectly, arthritis impacts everyone in the UK. The campaign will also highlight that there are over 10 million people living with arthritis and the condition can cause high levels of daily pain and fatigue.As part of the launch, Arthritis Research UK is releasing The Nation’s Joint Problem report which reveals the current and future impact of two major forms of the condition, osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), on the economy, the NHS as well as families and individuals across the UK.The report’s key findings include:Impact on the economy: Working days lost due to OA and RA will increase from 25.1 million today to 25.9 million by 2030, equating to an annual£3.43 billion productivity hit to the economy. By 2050 these figures will increase to 27.2 million working days and, an annual cost of£4.74 billion.Impact on the health service: The estimated cost to the NHS and the wider healthcare system, on OA and RA, currently stands at£10.2 billion. Over the course of the next decade, an estimated£118.6 billion will be spent on the condition.Impact on individuals: One-in-six people currently have OA and RA, and this is predicted to rise to one-in-five by 2050; andImpact on families: More than three-quarters...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news