Could arthritis be a barrier to weight loss and physical activity among persons with diabetes and cardiovascular disease?

Background: Many people with diabetes and cardiovascular disease also have arthritis, which can complicate the management of their diabetes or CVD.

Objective: To describe the prevalence of arthritis among people with five target conditions: diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and obesity.

Method: We used 2003 BRFSS to estimate the overall and age-and sex-specific prevalence of self-reported doctor-diagnosed arthritis among adults with self-reported diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, hypertension, and obesity.

Result: Arthritis affects more than half of adults with diabetes or cardiovascular disease, over 40% of adults with hypertension or high cholesterol, and 38% for those with obesity compared with 27% of adults in the general population. These relatively higher rates persisted when examined by age (18-44, 45-64, 65+) and gender. For all analyzed conditions, arthritis prevalence was higher among females and increased with increasing age, as is typical for arthritis in the general population.

Conclusion: In all states doctor-diagnosed arthritis affects very large proportions of persons with diabetes and CVH and their targeted intervention factors. The presence of arthritis in people with diabetes or CVD may create a barrier to adoption of healthier lifestyles. For example, the major barrier to physical activity among people with arthritis is pain. Specially tailored arthritis interventions, such as the Chronic Disease Self Management Program and the Arthritis Self Help Course, help adults manage arthritis pain and safely increase physical activity. Diabetes and cardiovascular intervention programs may meet their own goals more readily by integrating efforts with arthritis programs.