Arthritis

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FAQs (Data Related) Arthritis Program

What is the best way to keep informed of CDC’s Arthritis Program scientific activities?
The Funded Science section of the Web site offers a snapshot of the current extramural scientific activities, which include efforts to estimate the incidence and prevalence of lupus in a variety of racial/ethnic groups as well as a recent effort to develop a public health approach to psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. You can view arthritis related publications authored by the CDC and others. We also publish regularly in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, especially during national arthritis month (May), and in academic journals. Because this is a small and growing field, we always welcome e-mail or other inquiries to discuss our intramural scientific activities or general issues in the field of arthritis public health. We would like to prevent duplication of effort and maximize the productivity of the small group of scientists working on arthritis as a public health issue.
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Which types of arthritis are being addressed at the CDC?
Ideally, we would address all of the more than 100 conditions that comprise arthritis and other rheumatic conditions. Because the field of public health is just beginning to address arthritis, we must focus our efforts. Our plan is to start broadly and then get more specific. From a surveillance perspective this means we are focusing first on all-inclusive perspectives: doctor-diagnosed arthritis in self-reported surveys and “arthritis and other rheumatic conditions” in health system data. We are beginning to focus on specific conditions. These include osteoarthritis (the most common type of arthritis), rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. In addition, we are beginning to characterize arthritis in an important but understudied demographic group—children.
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