Half of diabetics in U.S. have arthritis, CDC says

By Julie Steenhuysen

CHICAGO (Reuters) - People with diabetes are twice as likely to have arthritis, putting them in a double bind as the pain in their joints keeps them from getting the exercise they need to keep both diseases at bay, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday.

They found that more than half of U.S. adults diagnosed with diabetes also have arthritis, a condition that makes them far less likely to exercise.

The association was independent of age, gender or body mass index (BMI), a measure of obesity.

"The prevalence of arthritis in a diabetic population is astoundingly high," said Dr. John Klippel, president of the Arthritis Foundation in a telephone interview.

"Over half the people with diabetes have arthritis. If in fact you have both conditions, you are quite unlikely to be physically active," he said.

According to the report, nearly 30 percent of diabetics with arthritis are likely to be physically inactive, compared with 21 percent of diabetics who do not have arthritis.

That compares with 17.3 percent of adults with arthritis alone who are inactive, and 10.9 percent of adults with neither condition who are inactive.

Nationwide, the CDC found 46.4 million adults have arthritis and 20.6 million have diabetes.