BBC News | HEALTH | Bone and joint diseases threaten financial crisis

BBC News Online: Health

Tuesday, 30 November, 1999, 13:33 GMT

Bone and joint diseases threaten financial crisis

Sharp rises predicted in cases of bone and joint disease will put health systems world-wide under financial strain, says the World Health Organisation (WHO).

An expected doubling in the number of people over the age of 50 by 2020 will lead to a rapid escalation in cases of bone and joint - or musculo-skeletal - disease, which will leave health services strapped for cash to tackle the problem.

Announcing a 10-year global initiative from the WHO and the United Nations, UN secretary-general Kofi Annan said governments around the world need to start taking action now.

There are effective ways to prevent and treat these disabling diseases but we must act on them now
UN secretary-general Kofi Annan

Musculo-skeletal diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis, account for more than half of all chronic conditions in people over 50 years of age in developed countries and there are thought to be several hundred million sufferers world-wide.

In the developing world, problems often occur at an earlier age, particularly from the 10m to 15m injuries sustained every year on the roads and through armed conflict.

Mr Annan said governments must work with national and international organisations for people with musculo-skeletal diseases and health professionals working in the field over the next 10 years.

"There are effective ways to prevent and treat these disabling diseases," he said. "But we must act on them now."

Signed up

The initiative, called the "Bone and joint decade", brings together 650 national and international organisations and governments in 15 countries, including the UK, have signed up to the campaign.

It aims to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment of patients and advance research at the same time as reducing the financial and social cost involved.

Professor Lars Lidgren of the University Hospital, at Lund, Sweden, is chairing the initiative. He said: "Progress is being made but, to meet our goals, it is essential that many more governments endorse the Bone and Joint Decade and assist with the research needs for this severe, long-term and increasingly prevalent disease.

"Only then will we have achieved a truly global effect."

Musculo-skeletal complaints are the most common reason for a visit to a physician in the US, with more than 130m patients seen annually at a cost of $215bn.

New drugs, biological treatments and less invasive joint replacements are leading to breakthroughs in the way the conditions are managed.

Related to this story:
Hip replacement demand 'to double' (07 Sep 99 | Health)
Arthritis drug prompts funding worries (18 Nov 99 | Health)
Osteoporosis treatment set for overhaul (12 Mar 99 | Health)

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