WebMD Medical News Laura J. Martin, MD April 29, 2011 --
Arthritis may hurt more than just the joints of the 50 million
Americans with the disease. A new survey suggests arthritis
negatively affects physical as well as mental health. The
results show the health-related quality of life of people with
arthritis was two to three times worse than people without it.
For example, 27% of people with arthritis reported fair or poor
overall health compared with 12% of those without arthritis.
Adults with arthritis were also more likely to report more
mentally unhealthy days, overall unhealthy days, and days in
which their daily activities were limited by their disease. The
study, published in Arthritis Care & Research, is based on data
collected by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a
nationally representative sample of more than 1 million U.S.
adults conducted in 2003, 2005, and 2007. Researchers compared
the health-related quality of life (HRQOL, or perceived physical
and mental health over time) of peo