Many OA Patients Face Continuous Pain

The "OA Nation" report, published by the charity Arthritis Care (April 5, 2004), showed thatmany individuals in the United Kingdom (UK) live with constant pain and find it hard to doeveryday tasks, and some find it difficult to get out of bed because of their arthritis. The comprehensivestudy involving 1762 patients in Great Britain showed that 81% were in constantpain. Women with arthritis outnumbered men by 3 to 1. Also, the patients experienced pain foran average of 12 years, but some had symptoms for >25 years.

Furthermore, the study revealed that many arthritis patients do not seek medical advice,and half do not visit a physician unless they have frequent episodes of excruciating pain. "TheUK falls short at every stage of the arthritis management pathway, judging by the experienceof people with osteoarthritis [OA]. And, people with arthritis are not aware of what is available,"said Neil Betterridge, director of public affairs for Arthritis Care.