Elderly individuals with arthritis have poorer quality of life
Osteoarthritis is a common condition experienced by older Americans, many of whom buy Synvisc to relieve their pain and stiffness.
Osteoarthritis is a common condition experienced by older Americans, many of whom buy Synvisc to relieve their pain and stiffness. A recent study that appears in the journal Arthritis Care and Research has shown that elderly individuals who suffer from the joint disease tend to have poorer quality of life, compared to those who do not have it.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 50 million Americans are currently living with arthritis, and that this number could swell to 67 million by the year 2030, due to the growing population of seniors.
Lead researcher Sylvia Furner and her team looked at data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to compare the quality of life among individuals with and without the disease.
They found that 27 percent of participants with arthritis reported fair or poor health, compared to only 12 percent of those who did not have the condition.
Older adults who engaged in regular physical activity appeared to have significantly better quality of life, whether or not they were arthritic.
"Increasing physical activity, reducing co-morbidities and increasing access to healthcare could improve the quality of life for adults with arthritis," Furner said.
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