Arthritis Awareness Week

1st to 7th April 2007

What is Arthritis Awareness Week?

Arthritis Awareness Week is an initiative of Arthritis Australia [external link]. It is a week of promotional and educational activities, held around the country, to raise awareness about arthritis, its effects, and the various treatment and management options available. Arthritis Australia hopes that these activities will make all Australians aware that arthritis is not a natural part of ageing but a disease that affects many people of working age and also children.

The National Centre for Monitoring Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Conditions at the AIHW is active in collecting, analysing, and reporting statistics on arthritis in Australia. Our objective is to undertake national monitoring and surveillance of arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions, and to become a reliable source of national information on osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile arthritis and osteoporosis. These four conditions have been identified as a focus for national action under the Australian Government's Better Arthritis and Osteoporosis Care Program 2006-2010 Budget initiative. The National Centre is helping to raise arthritis awareness this week by providing information about arthritis in Australia.

Arthritisgyou might be surprised!

What is arthritis?

• Arthritis is a word used to describe more than 100 different diseases affecting the musculoskeletal system (that is, the bones, joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments that support our bodies and allow us to move), specifically the joints.
• Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter's syndrome, scleroderma and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus) are all types of arthritis.
• Some of the common features of the various types of arthritis are pain, stiffness, inflammation, and damage to the cartilage, bones and other structures within the joints.
• Although arthritis cannot be cured, the symptoms and impacts of arthritis can be reduced through early diagnosis and appropriate treatment and management.

Who has arthritis?

• An estimated 3.0 million Australians - 15% of the population - have some type of arthritis. 
• The most common types are osteoarthritis (affecting more than 1.5 million Australians), rheumatoid arthritis (affecting around 491,000 Australians) and gout (affecting 250,000 Australians).
• Most types of arthritis affect women more often than men. Those that are more common in men include gout, Reiter's syndrome and ankylosing spondylitis.
• Although the number of people who have arthritis increases with age, about 1 in every 4 Australians with arthritis are less than 50 years old.
• Arthritis doesn't just affect adults. There are 4,600 Australians with arthritis who are less than 16 years old.

What effects does arthritis have?

• The main symptoms of arthritis are pain, stiffness, inflammation and swelling of the affected joints. Depending on which joints are affected, it may be difficult to perform basic activities such as housework, shopping, cooking, dressing and walking.
• Arthritis is Australia's leading cause of disability. Around 14% of people with a disability report that arthritis or a related disorder is their main disabling condition.
• People who have arthritis may feel that their quality of life is reduced, especially if they need help with basic tasks or cannot do all of the activities that they would like to do. It is not uncommon to feel depressed, angry or lonely.
• Although some types of arthritis can be severely disabling, many people with arthritis, particularly those with osteoarthritis, have few symptoms and are only mildly affected by their condition.

How is arthritis treated?

• Treatment for arthritis depends on the specific type of arthritis a person has, how severe it is, and the person's own needs and desires. It may involve a combination of medication, education, and physical and other therapies.
• Health professionals involved in treating people with arthritis can include general practitioners, rheumatologists, orthopaedic surgeons, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and pharmacists.
• It is important to eat a healthy diet, get regular exercise and maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese puts extra strain on joints that are already sore and damaged. In overweight people with arthritis, weight loss can reduce arthritis symptoms. 
• Self-management of the disease is also important. Knowing how and when to use medications, learning safe ways of doing different activities and recognising when to stop or seek help can reduce pain and increase self-confidence. 
• Various aids and assistive devices are available to help people with physical limitations caused by arthritis to perform basic tasks, such as opening jars, turning taps, writing, or picking things up off the floor.
• People with severe osteoarthritis may have their symptoms relieved and joint function improved through joint replacement. 
• More than 17,000 total hip replacements and almost 25,000 total knee replacements for arthritis were performed in Australian hospitals in 2004-05. Most of these were for osteoarthritis.

Can arthritis be prevented?

• A healthy lifestyle, including a balanced diet, regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight, may help to prevent osteoarthritis.  
• Many types of arthritis are not preventable. Some of these are autoimmune conditions (where the immune system attacks the body's own tissues) and we do not yet know exactly what causes them.
• The good news is that early diagnosis and treatment of arthritis can reduce symptoms and help to prevent damage to the joints.

You can find more information about arthritis:

• on the Arthritis section of this website. 
• in our publications, Arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions in Australia 2005 and Australia's health 2006. 
• by the National Centre for Monitoring Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Conditions.
• at the Arthritis Australia website [external site].