Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
£10BN A YEAR PAIN OF ARTHRITIS SUFFERERS
25m working days lost to the agonising condition each year
ARTHRITIS costs £10.2billion a year to the NHS and the wider healthcare system, research claims.
And an estimated £118.6billion will be spent on the condition over the course of the next decade.
The two most common forms, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, cost the UK economy £2.58billion a year due to the 25million working days lost.
This will increase to £3.43billion a year by 2030 as the number of days lost rises by 900,000, said Arthritis Research UK.
And by 2050 there will be 27.2million days lost, at a cost of £4.74billion. One in six people currently have OA and RA, predicted to jump to one in five by 2050.
While nine in 10 sufferers describe it as a debilitating and life-restricting condition, the Arthritis Research UK report, titled the Nation’s Joint Problem, claims the condition is largely “invisible” and seen as an acceptable part of ageing.
Osteoarthritis sufferer Anne Kearl, 55, said: “Pain is normal to me. It’s always there. I may paint a smile on my face but I will be hurting all over.”
Chief exec Liam O’toole said: “There is a mismatch between the enormous impact arthritis has on individuals, their families and society and the attention, priority and resources given to it.
“As a result, people with arthritis do not get the help or support they need.
“We are all losing out. Whether it’s an employer who loses out on the skills of an employee, a child who misses out on playing with parents or grandparents, or the strain on NHS resources, the impact of arthritis is felt across society.”