Arthritis & Autoimmune Disease Facts
Dispelling the Myths

Myth: Arthritis is just aches and pain
FACT: Arthritis has an enormous impact on quality of life. A prolonged course of arthritis may result in extended periods of pain and suffering, reduced sleep, depression and unemployment which add up to reduced quality of life.

Myth: Arthritis is an old person's disease
FACT: Arthritis is not just a disease of the elderly: the average age of onset is between 41 and 50, and it is among the most common chronic diseases in children. An estimated one in 1,000 Canadian children below age 16 live with juvenile arthritis.

MORE FACTS:

Arthritis and rheumatic conditions currently affect nearly 4.5 MILLION Canadians

Arthritis is among the TOP THREE most common chronic diseases in Canada.

The economic burden of arthritis in Canada is estimated at $4.4 BILLION annually

Arthritis affects nearly twice as many women as men

The vast majority of Canadians take medication to manage the disease and at close to $270 million, the costs of arthritis medications continue to rise

Each year almost 44,000 surgical procedures are carried out in Ontario specifically for arthritis and related disorders

Sources
Arthritis in Canada. An ongoing challenge co-edited by Dr. Elizabeth Badley and published by Health Canada, 2003.

Arthritis and Related Conditions in Ontario, ICES Research Atlas, 2004

Arthritis and related conditions in Ontario: ICES research atlas. 2nd ed. Toronto: Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences; 2004 Williams J, Shipton et al