- Arthritis is the leading cause of disability for people over the age of 15, disabling two to three times more workers than all other chronic conditions.
- The cost of musculoskeletal diseases in Canada is estimated at $16.4 billion each year, the second highest cost after heart disease.
- Long-term disability accounts for almost 80% of the economic cost of arthritis. People aged 35-64 incurred 70% of these costs.
- In rheumatoid arthritis, reported rates of work disability are remarkably high: 32% - 50% ten years after onset and 50% - 90% thirty years after onset. Studies have also shown that work disability occurs early in the course of rheumatoid arthritis.
- Treating people with rheumatoid arthritis with biologic response modifiers helps them stay at, or return to, work.
- Disability associated with arthritis costs the Canadian economy about $4.4 billion each year.
Economic costs