According to a new study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), over half of Americans with heart disease also have arthritis. They also found that people that have both diseases are less likely to physically active than those with only heart disease.
The study is one of the first to measure the relationship between the two diseases as well as the impacts of arthritis on physical activity of those with heart disease.
“People with arthritis often fear physical activity will worsen their pain – and that’s a major myth,” said Patience White, MD, MA, chief public health officer for the Arthritis Foundation.
Chad Helmick, M.D., a co-author of the study and medical epidemiologist with the CDC, says adults with arthritis and heart disease have unique barriers to being physically active such as concerns about pain, aggravating or worsening joint damage and not knowing how much or what types of physical activity are safe for them.
Research shows that participating in joint-friendly activities such as walking, swimming, biking and arthritis-specific exercise programs can help manage both conditions. For patients with heart disease, physical activity helps to lower blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels. For those who have arthritis, physical activity reduces pain, improves function and delays disability.
This is similar to a study from 2008 by the CDC found that more than half of adults with diabetes also had arthritis and those patients that had both diseases were more likely to have higher levels of inactivity. This also led to problems managing both diseases.
The study was published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) on February 27th .
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