Osteoarthritis triggers majority of enquiries to Arthritis Care’s helpline

More than 60% of all enquiries made to Arthritis Care’s helpline from January to September last year were from people with osteoarthritis (OA), the charity reports.

During the nine-month period, the helpline received a total of 7,755 contacts, of which 4,339 (60%) contacts identified themselves as living with OA. The majority of OA contacts were female and not of working age (18-65 years).

Arthritis Care carried out this project to identify the support and information needs of people with OA (chronic inflammation of the joints), the most common form of arthritis which largely affects the hands, knees, hips, feet and spine.

The results showed that 96% of contacts with OA were affected physically: 71% experienced pain, 22% had mobility issues, and 3% had fatigue.

Around 30% of OA contacts reported an emotional impact, with 5% feeling lonely/isolated, 4% feeling depressed, and 27% in need of emotional support from the helpline.

Over half of OA contacts asked for information about their condition and, of those, 28% needed additional fact sheets to help them care for specific joint areas. The highest requests were about hand and wrist, followed by hip and knee.

Most of the enquiries (88%) discussed self-management techniques, including diet, exercise, complementary therapies and treatments

The helpline distributed information on the following topics to its contacts: coping with pain (92%), living with osteoarthritis (81%), exercise (56%), and healthy eating (46%). About 10% of OA enquiries were on disability aids, and equipment/clothing.

A small percentage of contacts with OA had another type of arthritis (9%). More than 14% of contacts experienced co-morbidities (the highest single additional health condition being osteoporosis), followed by heart disease and hypertension. Around 8% of contacts discussed referral difficulties to health professionals, such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists and pain clinics.

Jo Cumming, Arthritis Care’s Helpline manager, said: ‘Arthritis Care’s helpline team take around 10,000 calls and written enquiries every year, and the majority are from people with osteoarthritis.

‘More than half of osteoarthritis contacts have contacted us for information about their arthritis and how to manage the symptoms, which indicates a general lack of understanding about the condition.

‘The results also show that osteoarthritis affects people both emotionally and physically, with pain being reported as a main concern.

‘Osteoarthritis is a complex condition which has a higher incidence in older people. With an ageing population, it really is very important for people to contact our helpline and seek support as soon as possible rather than endure chronic pain.’

According to recent national population projections, by 2034 the proportion in the ‘oldest old’ population (those aged 85 and over) is projected to reach 5% of the total population, compared to 23% of the population aged 65 and over [1]. While the proportion of the population aged between 16 and 64 is expected to fall to 59% – this will be due to increasing numbers of people reaching age 65 as those born in the 1960s baby boom, who are currently of working age, become older [2].

Arthritis Care’s free and confidential helpline is a service which provides emotional support and information by phone, email, letter and an online forum, to people living in the UK. The helpline is staffed by qualified counsellors who are not medical experts, but can offer information on all forms of arthritis, treatments and other associated social and financial matters.

Visit www.arthritiscare.org.uk for more information.

 
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For media enquiries, please call the Arthritis Care press office on 0207 380 6550 or email AmandaI@arthritiscare.org.uk

Notes to Editors

1.    Arthritis means inflammation of the joints. Most people with arthritis will experience pain and difficulty moving around. Around 10 million people in the UK have arthritis. There are over 200 kinds of rheumatic diseases – the word rheumatic means aches and pains in joints, bones and muscles. Two of the most common forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

2.    Arthritis Care is the UK’s leading charity working with and for people with all forms of arthritis. We offer people with arthritis the information and support they need to make informed choices about managing their arthritis, to reach their potential in society and to fully participate in their communities. We believe that people with arthritis are entitled to receive the best available treatment and medication, and to have their voice heard in decisions affecting their health.

3.    Information and support on how to cope with pain is available by calling the Arthritis Care Helpline free on 0808 800 4050, emailing Helplines@arthritiscare.org.uk or by visiting the website www.arthritiscare.org.uk

Footnote

1 Office for National Statistics 11 Population Trends nr 142 Winter 2010
2  Ibid