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June 2004

Arthritis: The Impact of Multiple Chronic Conditions

Introduction 65-74 and 75+ age groups, seven people in In 2000, over 17 million Americans were ten and eight in ten, respectively, have more estimated to have arthritis. Overall, 6.5% of than one other chronic condition. (Figure 2) Americans have arthritis. One in seven people with a chronic condition has arthritis. Figure 2 Figure 1 Number of Comorbid Chronic Conditions For Percent of People With Arthritis, by Age People with Arthritis, by Age Group Group

l 100% n p

28.2% o

s 5+ r 30% 26.2% o 80% n h e o P C i

25% 60% 4 t f r i e o e d g 20%

t h 40% a

n 3 t t n o n O 15% e

20% C e c 2 h 8.0% r c t r e 10% i 0% e P

w 1 P 5% 0.0% 0.7% 0-17 18-34 35-64 65-74 75+ 0% 0 Age Group 0-17 18-34 35-64 65-74 75+

Age Distribution The most common comorbid condition for Arthritis is a chronic condition that increases people across all age groups with arthritis is in prevalence with age. Almost no Americans hypertension (44%). The next most common under the age of 35 have arthritis, while comorbid conditions are: heart disease (20%); 26.2% of people in the 65-74 age group and high cholesterol (18%); and diabetes (16%). 28.2% of people in the 75+ group have (Figure 3) arthritis.

Arthritis and Other Chronic Conditions On average, a person with arthritis has 3.4 other chronic conditions. Only one in six persons with arthritis have no other chronic conditions. The prevalence of comorbidities in people with arthritis increases with age. Almost no one in the 0-17 age group, and just three people in ten in the 18-34 age group has more than one other chronic condition. In the Figure 3 The average health expenditure for Most Com m on Com orbid Chronic Conditions in People w ith Arthritis people with arthritis was $5,781 in 2000. There is a positive relationship between mean expenditure and number of comorbid chronic Hypertension 44% conditions, as demonstrated in Figure 4. Heart n 20% o i Disease t Figure 4 i d

n High o 18% Average Health Expenditure for People with

C Cholesterol Arthritis, by Number of Comorbidities Diabetes 16% $14,000 $11,652 $12,000 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% $9,135 $10,000 $8,000 $6,096 $4,367 $6,000 The most common comorbidities vary by $3,837 age. The most common comorbidity for $4,000 $2,583 $2,000 people in the 0-17 age group is eye disorders $0 (52%), and for those 18-34, allergies (27%). 0 1 2 3 4 5+ Hypertension is the most common comorbidity for people with arthritis in the Conclusion 35-64 age group (38%), the 65-74 age group Arthritis is a common and expensive chronic (52%), and the 75+ age group (51%). (Table condition that most often afflicts older people. 1) It is often found in combination with other chronic conditions, complicating care and Table 1 increasing costs. Second-Most Age Most Common Common Group Comorbidity (%) Sources Comorbidity (%) Eye Disorders These data come from the Household 0-17 N/A (52%) Component of the 2000 Medical Expenditure Chronic Respiratory Panel Survey (MEPS), a product of the 18-34 Allergies (27%) Infections (15%) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. 35-64 Hypertension (38%) Depression (17%) MEPS collects data on Americans’ utilization High Cholesterol 65-74 Hypertension (52%) of and financing for health services. In 2000 (23%) MEPS included 25,096 households in its 75+ Hypertension (51%) Heart Disease (35%) survey. The findings of this survey were then weighted to produce 278,405,516 weighted Costs of Arthritis cases, the data used in this issue briefing. About Partnership for Solutions

Partnership for solutions, led by Johns Hopkins University and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is an initiative to improve the care and quality of life for the estimated 125 million Americans with chronic health conditions. The Partnership is engaged in three major activities conducting original research and identifying existing research that clarifies the nature of the problem; communicating these research finding to policymakers, business leaders, health professionals, advocates, and others; and working with public and private programs to identify promising solutions to the problems faced by people with chronic conditions.