About four million Canadians suffer from arthritis and other rheumatic conditions, and that number is expected to double by 2020. Approximately 1.4 million suffer from osteoporosis. The estimated annual
cost of treating these diseases is $6.3 billion; only heart disease costs more. But the price can be measured in more than just dollars — these painful conditions limit a person’s mobility and quality of life. People with these diseases also tend to drop out of the workforce, shrinking the country’s tax base.
If you think about a typical arthritis – or osteoporosis-sufferer, you most likely picture an elderly person, shuffling down the street with a walker or a cane. In reality, bone and joint diseases do not just affect
seniors. Arthritis and osteoporosis are a growing problem in almost all age groups.
An estimated 40 per cent of people with arthritis are under the age of 65 and osteoporosis, which is commonly viewed as a woman’s disease, actually affects one in eight Canadian men.
Other nations see Canada as a leader in arthritis and osteoporosis research. Yet we are not devoting enough resources to tackling these illnesses, considering the tremendous impact they have on Canadians’ lives and the health care system. There are still many aspects of these diseases that researchers are just beginning to explore.
For example, scientists have known for years that healthy bones need vitamin D. However, it is still not clear exactly how much vitamin D people need, or how it works to build bone at the cellular level. Plus,
years of skin-cancer prevention messages have lead people to shun the sun, an important natural source of the vitamin.
Recent findings about vitamin D’s potential cancer-fighting abilities have renewed the health community’s interest in this beneficial nutrient. Now more than ever, we need more research to determine the best way
for people to get the vitamin D they need and protect their skin.
Exercise also builds bone health. Heather McKay, a Canadian Institutes of Health Research-supported scientist at the University of British Columbia, has shown that students participating in school exercise programs have greater bone strength than less active students. However, a number of factors, including age, sex, and type of physical activity, appear to influence the extent to which exercise helps build bone.
Resistance training (e.g., weight-lifting) and high-impact activities (e.g., jumping and gymnastics) appear to be the best types of exercise for promoting bone growth.
We also need to find ways to identify the early signs of arthritis and osteoporosis in younger people, so that they can receive the treatments they need to avoid serious health problems later in life.
Genetic screening may eventually give us a way to identify the people at greatest risk of developing bone diseases, giving them the opportunity to take steps to protect their bones. Researchers in labs world-wide
are currently trying to identify genes associated with bone diseases and susceptibility to bone diseases.
With more research, we can identify the risk factors for bone and joint diseases and devise better diagnostic techniques and treatments. By educating the public about how they can avoid arthritis and
osteoporosis, we can give Canadians a healthier, more active future.
Dr. Jane Aubin, Scientific Director, Canadian
Institutes of Health Research, Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis.