Baby boomers know it, and so do their parents: Older age often brings arthritis. And it may already be time for the next generations — millennials and Generation Zers — to pay attention to that fact. The number of people being diagnosed with arthritis appears to be climbing fast, and experts say it’s best to establish healthy habits early in an attempt to stave off the condition. “We don’t have anything to prevent the disease or the progression of this disease over time, but exercising and maintaining a healthy weight are the best chance to reduce your risk factors,” says Dr. Najia Shakoor, a rheumatologist and researcher at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
What Is Arthritis?
Arthritis is an umbrella term for dozens of conditions that affect the joints and other tissues, causing pain and stiffness. The conditions fall into two arthritis categories:
— Noninflammatory arthritis usually refers to osteoarthritis, a wearing away of the cartilage at the ends of the bones. The damage and some resulting inflammation stay within the joint. It’s the most common type of arthritis, and about 30 million people have it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Anybody over the age of 40 probably has some osteoarthritis, though it may not yet be causing symptoms,” says Dr. Benjamin Schwartz, a rheumatologist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “Most of what we see is low back and neck pain. We see a lot of hip and knee pain as well.” Hands, shoulders and toes can also become arthritic.
— Inflammatory arthritis generally refers to joint inflammation caused by an immune system glitch — immune cells mistakenly attack certain parts of the body, leaving damage and side effects that can go well beyond the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis (an attack on the lining of the joints, called the synovium) is one of the most common types of inflammatory arthritis, affecting about 1.5 million people, according to the Arthritis Foundation.
[See: How to Practice Yoga When You Have Arthritis or Another Chronic Condition.]
Changing Numbers
Earlier this year, a study that evaluated health surveys from more than 43,000 people age 20 or older suggested that the numbers of arthritis cases in the U.S. are changing. The number of people in the study reporting that they had osteoarthritis doubled between 1999 and 2014, from about 7 percent of respondents to 14 percent.
Meanwhile, the number of people in the study reporting cases of rheumatoid arthritis fell from about 6 percent to 4 percent. Schwartz doesn’t buy that last trend. “I don’t think the incidence or prevalence of RA is decreasing, but we are able to treat it much better so that people do not have the same type of symptoms and deformities they once had,” Schwartz says.
The study was only observational and can’t prove that arthritis numbers are rising or falling.
But it’s food for thought when contrasted with another observational study from 2016 that found about 52 million people in the U.S. age 18 or older reported having doctor-diagnosed arthritis in 2010 and projected those rates would jump 49 percent by 2040 (with about half of that roughly 78 million in the working-age population — ages 18 to 64).
The large spike in cases would likely be tied to greater numbers of middle-aged and older adults in the U.S., Schwartz says. “The population is aging, which puts more people at risk for arthritis,” he explains.
And that brings us to today’s millennials and Gen Zers, who in 2040 will range in age from 45 to 63 — the age when arthritis typically begins showing up.
[See: What Are the Secrets to Aging Well?]
Will You Get Arthritis?
Just because age is a risk factor for many kinds of arthritis, it doesn’t mean you’ll get it. Inflammatory arthritis may have a genetic component that may be triggered by your diet or environmental exposure, although doctors don’t know exactly what causes the immune system to go on the attack.
It’s better known what leads to osteoarthritis. Age is one risk factor (the older you are, the higher your risk). Others include:
— Family history. If your parents have osteoarthritis, your risk for developing the condition increases.
— Muscle weakness. “Weakness in the quadriceps [in front of the thigh] has been shown to be a risk factor for knee osteoarthritis,” Shakoor says.
— Being overweight. A spare tire around the middle puts extra pressure on the knees, hips, ankles and toes. The Arthritis Foundation reports that each pound of excess fat adds 4 pounds of pressure on the knees (so 10 pounds amounts to 40 pounds of pressure).
— Overuse and injury. Both of these contribute to the degradation of cartilage, which doesn’t grow back once it wears away. Overuse can occur when your joints take too much of a pounding — anything from running on pavement to texting on a smartphone. “Repeatedly looking down at technology stresses that neck. That can predispose you to getting neck osteoarthritis. Texting continually with your thumbs can predispose you to getting osteoarthritis in those joints,” Schwartz says.
— Smoking. Lighting up is a risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis, according to the CDC. Smoking is also associated with more joint damage and greater joint pain.
A combination of the above risk factors may boost osteoarthritis risk even higher. An observational study published online in June found that the risk for developing knee osteoarthritis within 40 years tripled for 18?year-old men if they had a body mass index of 30 and a knee injury, compared to 18-year-old men with a BMI of 25 and no knee injury. (A BMI of 30 or more is considered obese for both men and women, while a BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight).
[Read: Ways to Boost Your Energy When You Have Arthritis.]
Can You Reduce Your Risk?
Numerous studies are underway to understand the causes of arthritis and better ways to treat it — from medications to gait training that takes pressure off the knee. But right now, without any proven ways to prevent arthritis or slow its progression, Shakoor says all we can do is speculate about reversing risk factors. “Since we know that quadriceps weakness is a risk factor for knee osteoarthritis, you can extrapolate that if you have better quad strength and maintain physical strength, you may be able to delay the onset or progression. But we don’t have any studies that show this,” she says.
It’s still worth a try, she suggests. An attempt to reduce risk could then include:
— Losing weight. “Losing even 10 percent of your weight will greatly reduce the burden on your lower back, hips and knees,” Schwartz says.
— Exercising. Get 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity exercise (like brisk walking). Avoid exercises that put too much pressure on your joints, like running. Instead try using an elliptical machine, swimming or riding a recumbent bicycle.
— Strength training. Strive to do strength training at least two days per week, but avoid exercises that overburden a joint, such as deep knee bends.
— Diet. Eat a healthy diet to help maintain a healthy weight. But keep in mind that no diet has been shown to reduce the risk of getting any kind of arthritis.
— Footwear. Wear shoes that relieve burden on the joints. “So far it seems that flat, flexible footwear is most effective in terms of reducing knee load,” Shakoor says.
Again, none of these steps will guarantee that you’ll avoid arthritis in the future.
But remember: “Maintaining a healthy lifestyle with exercise and diet is important not just for arthritis,” Shakoor points out, “but for all chronic conditions, including heart disease and diabetes.”
It’s advice you should put into practice as soon as possible, say the experts, no matter what your generation.
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Predicting Arthritis for the Next Generations originally appeared on usnews.com
