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• More than 4 million Canadians have at least one of over 110 forms of arthritis. Approximately 33% of Canadians over the age of 65 have osteoarthritis. Our aging population means that this figure could double in the next 20 years.
• Arthritis does not only affect the elderly: the average age of onset is between 41 and 50. Infants as young as 18 months have been diagnosed with the disease.
• Some forms of arthritis seem to strike women more often than men: three times as many women are diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis; 90% of all lupus patients are women.
• Arthritis is expensive. It consumes more than 10% of Canada's total health care expenditures. When combined with lost productivity, arthritis costs amount to over $5.8 billion annually.
• Canadian resources devoted to arthritis research total less than 1% of the direct costs of the disease.
• Over 2.7 million work-days are lost each year due to restricted activity caused by arthritis. Half of all those disabled by the disease are unable to work. Arthritis is Ontario's leading cause of long-term disability.
• Three-quarters of those who are disabled by the disease are dependent on others to meet many of their needs.
• Almost 2,000 people die each year from some form of arthritis, or from the negative side-effects of current arthritis medications.
• The World Health Organization has named 2001-2010 the Bone and Joint Decade, recognizing arthritis' burden of disease, impact on quality of life, and economic costs to society.

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