Why is arthritis not taken seriously? / Researchers warn about a disease that causes disability

According to new statistics published today (Monday), the number of people suffering from arthritis (osteoarthritis) worldwide is expected to reach about one billion people by 2050; The number in 2023 was about 600 million people.

According to Ambassador Arjan, according to a statement published by Curtin University in Australia, there is still no treatment or medicine to stop or slow down the process of this disease; A topic that has led researchers to call for stronger health policies to address the growing global burden of related disabilities.

Ambassador Arjan wrote: The global health policy roadmap, which was published by a group of international researchers led by Curtin University in Lancet magazine on World Arthritis Day, says: Arthritis is still not recognized in world health policies and is often insufficiently included in the provision of health care for chronic diseases, and is treated and prevented inconsistently and often inappropriately.

The roadmap calls for governments to recognize osteoarthritis as a major chronic disease, improve access to evidence-based care, invest in areas of prevention by addressing excess body weight and joint damage, and integrate osteoarthritis care with broader chronic disease and rehabilitation services.

According to Xinhua, Professor Andrew Briggs, the lead author of the report from Curtin University, said: Osteoarthritis faces a mental image problem because it is perceived in society as an inevitable part of aging with limited management options and, ultimately, ignored.

Co-senior author Professor Lynne March from Australia's Collings Institute said the global burden of disability caused by osteoarthritis has increased by 65% between 1990 and 2023.

Experts warn that rising obesity rates, an aging population and an increase in joint damage are expected to further increase the number of cases in the coming decades.