ATLANTA, May 8 (UPI) -- More than 10 million U.S. adults with chronic joint problems have not sought medical attention and could be missing an opportunity for treatment that could limit damage and alleviate their pain, federal health officials reported in a study released Thursday.
The finding is important because joint problems, including arthritis, are a leading cause of disability among adults. Early detection and treatment can help limit permanent joint damage and disability.
Although about 80 percent of people with chronic joint problems are receiving treatment, "about 20 percent of the people out there with chronic joint symptoms are not bothering to see a doctor for something the doctor could help out with," Dr. Chad Helmick, a medical epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told United Press International. "That translates into over 10 million people" who have not sought out medical care, he said.
This suggests the general population might not realize joint problems can be treated before they cause damage and disability, said Helmick, with CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. "One of our goals is to try to make people more aware there are things that can be done and that it makes sense to see a doctor," he added.
Dr. Kurt Spindler, associate professor and vice chairman of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at Vanderbilt University's Medical Center in Nashville, told UPI the study is the first attempt to quantify how many people are suffering from joint problems in the United States.
"We didn't really realize how many people had not sought out medical help for that," Spindler said.
Helmick's team analyzed data from more than 212,000 adults collected during the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a telephone survey conducted in all 50 states that asks participants if they had pain or stiffness in a joint during the past year and if they had sought out medical attention.
Helmick and colleagues from CDC report in the May 9 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that during 2001, about 47 million adults suffered from chronic joint pain. About 22 percent or more than 10 million of those people -- including 2 million with pain so severe it limited their activities -- had never seen a doctor for their symptoms.
Although lack of health insurance or a personal physician might play a part in this, Helmick said, more than 80 percent of people who had not sought medical care had insurance and 76 percent had a personal physician. "So it's a bit puzzling as to what's going on," he said.
"My guess is a lot of physicians just say (to their patients complaining of joint problems) 'It hurts? Then don't do it,' because they don't know what to do about it," Spindler said. "And a lot of patients think there's nothing they can do -- they're just going to have to live with it," he said.
"It's not true," Spindler continued. "There are a lot of things you can do" to improve qualify of life, he said.
Those most likely not to consult a doctor about their joint problems included younger males, Hispanics, those with less education and people who were otherwise in good health.
Helmick's team speculated one reason people might not seek out treatment is they might have a mild form of disease or might not think arthritis is a serious condition. In addition, they might hold the erroneous belief joint problems are a normal part of aging or be unaware there are medications and therapies that can help alleviate their pain, he said.
Many people do not realize arthritis can cause joint damage and there are drugs available now that can prevent some of the problems -– such as deformed hands and joints -- caused by rheumatoid arthritis, Helmick said.
There are other therapies available as well, such as programs involving weight loss and exercise, that can help keep joints strong and reduce the pain associated with chronic joint problems, he said.
Spindler agreed, explaining that moderate exercise, occasional use of medications ranging from over-the-counter painkillers to glucosamine, and physical therapy can "create less pain, better function and a better qualify of life."
"A lot of management (of joint problems) can be non-operative," he added.
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(Reported by Steve Mitchell, UPI Medical Correspondent, in Washington)
