New Australian Research Links Arthritis With An Increased Risk Of Poverty

Arthritis not only brings about an inflammation of the joints, it also puts a person at the risk of falling into poverty. According to a latest research published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatology, developing arthritis escalates the risk of being hit by “multidimensional poverty.”

The research, conducted by a team of researchers at the University of Sydney, Australia, suggests that arthritis is an overlooked factor that drives multidimensional poverty in terms of wealth, health and education. During the study, the team analyzed the data from the nationally representative survey conducted between the years 2007 and 2012. The study has the data of nearly 4,000 adults living in Australia.

The analysis of the survey results revealed that women, who had arthritis were, 51 percent more likely to fall into income poverty than the women, who did not have the disease. In addition, women were three times more likely to fall into income poverty than men. On the other hand, men were at a 22 percent increased risk of falling into income poverty.

However, the percentage was significantly higher in the case of the rate of occurrence of multidimensional poverty. Women with arthritis were 87 percent more likely to develop a multidimensional poverty than women with no arthritis, while males were 29 percent more likely to develop the same.

"Given the high prevalence of arthritis, the condition is an overlooked driver of poverty," the researchers concluded in the study. "Furthermore, the high risk of poverty should be kept in mind by clinicians seeking the most appropriate treatment for their patients with arthritis, as affordability of out-of-pocket costs may be an important factor."

Arthritis literally translates to joint inflammation. However, it is a term used to describe more than 100 rheumatic diseases and conditions that affect joints and the tissues surrounding it. The symptoms related to the condition most commonly include pain and stiffness around joints that develop over a period of time or show up suddenly.