Arthritis causes job limitations for many

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nearly 12 percent of Americans ages 45 to 64 face work limitations because of arthritis, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report on Thursday.

The CDC issued its first state-by-state assessment of work limitations caused by arthritis, an inflammation of the joints that causes pain, swelling, stiffness and restricted movement.

Countrywide, 6.7 percent of people ages 18 to 64, including 11.7 percent of those 45 to 64, reported that they either could not work at all or were limited in the amount and type of work they could perform due to arthritis in its various forms.

A third of working-age people who reported having arthritis said they suffered work limitations.

The CDC researchers based the findings on a 2003 national survey of 264,684 U.S. adults. One question was, "Have you ever been told by a doctor or other health professional that you have some form of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus or fibromyalgia?"

Kentucky was the worst-affected state, where 15 percent of workers had arthritis that interfered with work. Hawaii fared best with 3.4 percent reporting work limitations.

In every state, unemployment was higher among people who said arthritis limited what they could do in a job than in the overall working population.

The CDC said nearly 46 million U.S. adults have some form of arthritis, the nation's leading cause of disability. Nearly 19 million adults reported their life activities are limited because of it.

It is forecast to become an even greater problem as the U.S. population ages.

"These findings show that large numbers of workers in every state are affected by arthritis," Janet Collins, director of the CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, said in a statement.

"With the increasing number of older Americans in the nation's work force, it is important that employers, health departments and others take steps that help people with arthritis stay employed or become employed," she said.

Direct medical costs for arthritis were $81 billion in 2003, not including lost wages, the CDC said.