Bioelectronics Corp (BIEL)

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Arthritis Research UK is the charity dedicated to
stopping the devastating impact that arthritis has on
people’s lives. Everything that we do is focused on
taking the pain away and keeping people active.
Our remit covers all conditions which affect the joints,
bones and muscles including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid
arthritis, back pain and osteoporosis. We fund research
into the cause, treatment and cure of arthritis, provide
information on how to maintain healthy joints and
bones and to live well with arthritis. We also champion
the cause, influence policy change and work in
partnership with others to achieve our aims. We depend
on public support and the generosity of our donors to
keep doing this vital work.
1. Inflammatory conditions,
including rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
• Around 400,000 adults have rheumatoid
arthritis in the UK.1
• Rheumatoid arthritis is more common in
women than men by a factor of 3:1.1
• There are approximately 20,000 new cases
of rheumatoid arthritis in the UK every year.2
Other conditions
• 286,000 people every year consult their GP
about gout in the UK.3
• Men can develop gout as early as their mid-20s.3,4
• Between 25,000 and 50,000 people have
systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus). It is more
common in women than men by a ratio of 7:1.5,6
• There are 15,000 children in the UK with
juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).7
• More than 2,500 children develop juvenile
idiopathic arthritis each year.8
• Around 4,000 people in England have
scleroderma.9
• There is 1 new case of reactive arthritis each
year in UK for every 2500 people.10
• More than 30,000 people visit their GP every
year because of ankylosing spondylitis.11
2. Conditions of musculoskeletal
pain, including osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis
• 8.75 million people in the UK have sought
treatment for osteoarthritis.12
• A third of people aged 45 and over have
sought treatment for osteoarthritis.12
Osteoarthritis of the knee
• 4.71 million people in the UK have sought
treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee.12
• 4.11 million people in England have
osteoarthritis of the knee.13
• Just over half of all people consulting about
osteoarthritis have knee osteoarthritis.12
Arthritis
in the UK –
facts and
statistics
These facts are drawn together from a number of different sources (see references). The figures refer to the UK
population unless otherwise stated. For more data about arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions see
www.arthritisresearchuk.org/arthritis-information/data-and-statistics.aspx
Around 400,000 adults have rheumatoid arthritis in the UK
• Almost a quarter of people aged 75 or over in
the UK have sought treatment for osteoarthritis
of the knee.12
• 2.36 million working age people in the UK
have sought treatment for knee osteoarthritis.12
• The number of people with osteoarthritis
of the knee is estimated to increase to
6.5 million by 2020 (allowing for the size
and ageing of the population and increasing
levels of obesity).12
Osteoarthritis of the hip
• 2.46 million people in England have osteoarthritis
of the hip.13
• 11% of population aged 45 and over in
England have osteoarthritis of the hip.13
• 16% of women aged 75 and over in the UK
have sought treatment about hip osteoarthritis.12
Osteoarthritis of other joints
• 1.77 million people in the UK have sought
treatment for osteoarthritis of the foot or ankle.12
• One in 5 people who have sought treatment
for osteoarthritis have it in their foot or ankle.12
• 1.56 million people in the UK have sought
treatment about osteoarthritis of the hand
or wrist.12
• 1 in 6 people who sought treatment for
osteoarthritis have it in their hand or wrist.12
• 620,000 working age women in the UK
(45–64 years) have sought treatment about
osteoarthritis of the hand or wrist.12
Knee and hip joint replacements
• 97% of initial knee replacements are due to
osteoarthritis.14
• 85,920 initial knee replacements were reported
in 2013 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.14
• 91% of initial hip replacements are due to
osteoarthritis.14
• 80,194 initial hip replacements were reported in
2013 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.14
Back pain
• More than 6 million people have chronic back
pain.15
3. Osteoporosis and fragility
fracture
• 3 million people in the UK have osteoporosis.16
• 300,000 fragility fractures occur each year in
the UK.17
• There are over 89,000 hip fragility fractures
each year in the UK.17
4. Economics and impact
Costs
• The NHS musculoskeletal health programme
budget (in 2012–3) was £5.34 billion.18
• The medical and social care cost of hip fracture
in the UK is around £2 billion per year.19
• The cost of treating and caring for hip fractures
in the UK could rise to £6 billion by 2036.14
• £4 is saved by NHS for every £1 spent on
orthotics.20
• Using the STarT Back tool to stratify treatment
of back pain improves health outcomes and
provides an average societal saving of £675 per
patient.21
• The estimated direct cost of physical inactivity
to the NHS across the UK is £1.06 billion per
year.22
• The NHS costs associated with overweight and
obesity each year are £5.1 billion.23
Impacts
• Musculoskeletal conditions account for 30.5%
of all years lived with disability.24
• Musculoskeletal conditions account for 42% of
all reported cases of work-related ill health.25
• 30.6 million working days were lost due to
sickness absence caused by a musculoskeletal
condition in the UK in 2013.26
• 2.81 million UK work days were lost in 2013/14
due to back problems.27
• 80% people with rheumatoid arthritis report
footwear problems.28
• Research has found that 43% of people who
were previously independent are unable to
walk independently in the year after a hip
fracture.29
8.75 million people in the UK have sought treatment for osteoarthritis 300,000 fragility fractures occur each year in the UK
5. Musculoskeletal healthcare
services
• There are over 100,000 GP consultations
every day in the UK about a musculoskeletal
problem.30
• 21% of the population consults a GP about
a musculoskeletal problem each year.30
• 12% of people with musculoskeletal
conditions say they have a care plan.31
• 18% of people with osteoarthritis have a
care plan.32
• 37% of health services in England and Wales
provide some kind of fracture liaison service.33
6. Other factors affecting
musculoskeletal health
Other long term conditions
• 58% of people aged 60 and over report
having a long term condition.34
• 68% of people with arthritis report depression
when their pain is at its worst.35
• One in six people with rheumatoid arthritis
has major depression.36
Physical activity
• The Chief Medical Officers’ national guidelines
for physical activity advise that adults do
at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity
activity each week.19
• In 2011/12 only 36% of adults took part in
sport of moderate intensity for 30 minutes at
least once a week.37
• Older adults who engage in regular physical
activity have around 30% lower risk of falls.19
Overweight and obesity
• Overall in 2012, 67% of men and 57% of
women were either overweight or obese.38
• Overweight and obesity account for 8.6% of
disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).39
• Obese people are more than twice as likely
to develop knee osteoarthritis than those of
normal body weight.40
References
1. Symmons D et al. (2002). The prevalence of rheumatoid
arthritis in the United Kingdom: new estimates for a new
century. Rheumatology, 41(7)793-800.
2. Wiles N et al. (1999). Estimating the incidence of rheumatoid
arthritis – Trying to hit a moving target? Arthritis &
Rheumatism, 42(7), 1339–46.
3. Arthritis Research UK Primary Care Centre, Keele (2013).
Communication to Arthritis Research UK. Based on annual
consultation prevalence figures for 2010.
4. Arthritis Research UK & the University of Manchester
(2011). A Heavy Burden: The occurrence and impact of
musculoskeletal conditions in the UK today.
5. Nightingale A et al. (2007). Systemic lupus erythematosus
prevalence in the UK: methodological issues when using the
General Practice Research Database to estimate frequency
of chronic relapsing remitting disease. Pharmacoepidemiol
Drug Saf, 16(2), 144-51. [Note: Prevalence rates from this
reference were applied to 2006 mid-year UK population.]
6. Rees F et al. (2014). The incidence and prevalence of systemic
lupus erythematosus in the UK, 1999–2012. Annals of the
Rheumatic Diseases. doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-206334.
7. Sacks J et al. (2007). Prevalence of and annual ambulatory
health care visits for pediatric arthritis and other
rheumatologic conditions in the United States in 2001-2004.
Arthritis Rheum 2007; 57(8):1439-45.
8. Riise O et al. (2008). Incidence and characteristics of arthritis
in norwegian children: a population-based study. Pediatrics,
121 (2), e299-e306. See also www.arthritisresearchuk.
org/arthritis-information/data-and-statistics/childhoodarthritis.aspx

9. Allcock R et al. (2004). A study of the prevalence of systemic
sclerosis in northeast England. Rheumatology, 43, 596–602.
10. NHS choices (2014). Accessed at http://www.nhs.uk/
conditions/Reactive-arthritis/Pages/Introduction.aspx
11. Royal College of General Practitioners Birmingham Research
Unit (2006). Annual prevalence report 2006.
12. Arthritis Research UK (2013). Osteoarthritis in General
Practice.
13. Arthritis Research UK and Imperial College London
(December 2014). The Musculoskeletal Calculator. Available
from www.arthritisresearchuk.org/mskcalculator
14. National Joint Registry for England, Wales and Northern
Ireland (2014). 11th Annual Report. Part two including data
on clinical activity online at www.njrreports.org.uk
15. Elliott A et al. (1999). The epidemiology of chronic pain in the
community. Lancet, 354(9186):1248-52.
16. National Osteoporosis Society (2011) 25th anniversary report
- A fragile future. [Note: Based on data from http://www.
statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=1510 and
calculated using mid-2007 population data; See Kanis J et
al. (2000). Risk of hip fracture according to the World Health
Organization criteria for osteopenia and osteoporosis. Bone;
27 585-590.]
300,000 fragility fractures occur each year in the UK cont/
17. National Osteoporosis Society (2011). 25th anniversary
report – A fragile future. [Note: Based on data sources
including: The NHS Information Centre. Hospital Episode
Statistics for England (2010). Inpatient statistics, 2007-
08; Northern Ireland 2007/08 (2010). Hospital Inpatient
Information; Data collected on discharges from non
obstetric and non psychiatric hospitals in Scotland
(SMR1/01) (2010); Health Solutions Wales (2010). PEDW
Statistics.]
18. NHS England Programme Budgeting Data (2012-3).
Accessed at http://www.england.nhs.uk/resources/
resources-for-ccgs/prog-budgeting/
19. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2011).
Hip fracture: The management of hip fracture in adults.
Clinical Guideline 124.
20. Business solutions (2004). Orthotic Pathfinder.
21. Hill J et al (2011). Comparison of stratified primary
care management for low back pain with current best
practice (STarT Back): a randomised controlled trial.
Lancet, 378(9802), 1560-71.
22. Department of Health (2011). Start Active, Stay Active: a
report on physical activity from the four home countries’
Chief Medical Officers.
23. Scarborough et al. (2011). The economic burden of ill
health due to diet, physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol
and obesity in the UK: an update to 2006–07 NHS costs.
Journal of Public Health, Volume 33, Issue 4 527-535.
24. Murray C et al. (2013). UK health performance: findings
of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010, Lancet 381,
9871, 997-1020.
25. Health and Safety Executive (2013/4). Health and Safety
Statistics. Annual Report for Great Britain. Accessed at
http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/overall/hssh1314.
pdf?ebull=stats/oct=14&cr03
26. Office for National Statistics (2014). Full report: Sickness
absence in the labour market, February 2014.
27. Labour Force Survey. Accessed at http://www.hse.gov.
uk/statistics/lfs/swit1.xls
28. Arthritis Research UK (2012). A call to action: Providing
better footwear and foot orthoses for people with
rheumatoid arthritis.
29. Osnes K et al. (2004). Consequences of hip fracture on
activities of daily life and residential needs, Osteoporos
Int 15, 567-574.
30. Arthritis Research UK National Primary Care Centre, Keele
University (2009), Musculoskeletal Matters.
31. Arthritis Research UK (2014). Care planning and
musculoskeletal health.
32. Arthritis Care (2012). OA Nation 2012.
33. Royal College of Physicians (2011). Falling standards,
broken promises.
34. Department of Health (2012). Long Term Conditions
Compendium of Information, Third Edition.
35. Arthritis Care (2011). Arthritis Hurts: The emotional pain
of arthritis.
36. Matcham F et al (2013). The prevalence of depression
in rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review and metaanalysis.
Rheumatology (Oxford) 52 (12):2136-2148.
37. Health and Social Care Information Centre (2013).
Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet: England
2013.
38. Health Survey for England (2012). Chapter 10: Adult
anthropometric measures, overweight and obesity.
Accessed at http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/
PUB13218
39. Murray C et al. (2013). UK health performance: findings
of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010, Lancet 381,
9871, 997-1020.
40. Blagojevic M et al. (2010). Risk factors for onset of
osteoarthritis of the knee in older adults: a systematic
review and meta-analysis. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 18
(1):24-33.
Musculoskeletal conditions account for 30.5% of all years lived with disability
Copeman House, St Mary’s Court
St Mary’s Gate, Chesterfield
Derbyshire S41 7TD
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Email [e-mail]
www.arthritisresearchuk.org
/arthritisresearchuk @ArthritisRUK
© December 2014
Registered Charity England and Wales No. 207711,
Scotland No. SC041156