Comorbidity of Arthritis ONCB

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INTRODUCTION
All patients should have equal access to the same scope of healthcare services and expertise, regardless of ethnicity
and socioeconomic status. Unfortunately, according to the 2003 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, Unequal Treatment:
Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare by Smedley, Stith, and Nelson, ethnic and racial minorities receive
inferior treatment for their health problems compared to treatment received by others, even in cases where there is equitable
access to care. 2 Their review showed that “stereotyping, biases, and uncertainty on the part of the healthcare providers can
all contribute to unequal treatment.” 2 More specifically, race, nonverbal communication, and inferential thinking unconsciously
alter the clinical encounter between a healthcare provider and a patient. Disparity in the management of musculoskeletal
health is one that needs to be addressed and acted upon judiciously.
Movement is Life is a multi-disciplinary coalition seeking to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in muscle and joint health
by promoting physical movement to improve quality of life among women and African Americans and Hispanics. Breaking the
Vicious Cycle depicts the focal points of the challenge.
Figure 1: Vicious Cycle
One in five Americans suffer from doctor-diagnosed arthritis,
but among three segments of the population, the impact is
worse. Women, African-Americans, and Hispanics have more
severe arthritis and functional limitations. These same
individuals are more likely to be obese, diabetic, and have
higher incidence of heart disease—medical conditions that
can be improved with physical activity. Instead of moving,
however, these groups have an inactivity rate of 40–50
percent… and this rate is going up!
Joint Pain
A CDC study showed that arthritis, a musculoskeletal
condition, is one of the most common causes of disability in
adults in the United States, as represented in Figure 1,3 and
among the leading conditions causing work limitations.4 It has
been projected that the number of adults with a confirmed
diagnosis of arthritis will reach 67 million, or 25% of the
adult population, by the year 2030.5 Osteoarthritis is the
most common type of arthritis with an estimated 27 million
Americans, age 25 and older, affected by the condition. The percentage of people who suffer with the condition increases
with age.6
Overall, female, African American and Hispanics experience
a higher severity of osteoarthritis and limitations of mobility,
largely due to comorbidities disproportionately experienced by
this population such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease and
depression.7