New Estimates on Childhood Arthritis

A new CDC study estimates that 294,000 U.S. children under age 18 (or 1 in 250 children) have been diagnosed with arthritis or another rheumatologic condition. This study provides for the first time a national data-based estimate of the number of children diagnosed with arthritis and related rheumatic conditions across the United States and within each state, creating a benchmark to measure future shifts in occurrence. The study was prompted by a portion of the (proposed) Arthritis Prevention, Control, and Cure Act of 2004 which called for better determining the size of the childhood arthritis problem.

As a result, the CDC, in collaboration with several other organizations, began an intensive review of options on how to estimate the number of children with arthritis and related conditions and also what conditions should be included. In addition to providing these improved national estimates, the study also provides estimates for each state. CDC's first-ever estimates of childhood arthritis-related diagnoses show a state-by-state range from a low of 500 children in Wyoming to a high of 38,000 children in California.

Study data also show that children diagnosed with arthritis and other rheumatologic conditions account for approximately 827,000 doctor visits each year, including an average of 83,000 emergency department room visits. Further information on childhood arthritis and childhood arthritis surveillance is available.

For children and their families living with arthritis or other rheumatologic conditions, the Arthritis Foundation offers resources for managing the disease, including:

• Information detailing the different types of childhood arthritis

• Warning signs that may help to diagnose arthritis in your child

• Treatment options and supplemental resources, such as how to manage your child's arthritis in the classroom

Visit the Arthritis Foundation's Web site or call 1-800-283-7800 for additional information.

For More Information

• Childhood Arthritis-Overview
• Juvenile Arthritis Fact Sheet,* Arthritis Foundation
• Arthritis in Children, brochure,* Arthritis Foundation
• Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA)*
• Supporting CDC Study Data

  • Estimated Prevalence and Outpatient Visits from Selected Pediatric Conditions

  • Estimating Population Prevalence of Childhood Arthritis

  • Synthetic State-specific Prevalence Estimates of Pediatric Arthritis, 2001-2004

  • ICD-9-CM Code Specific Proportion of Prevalence and Ambulatory Care Visits

• CDC Arthritis