Facts and Figures
There are more than four million Canadians with some form of arthritis. Arthritis is serious and it is urgent. In Canada, there are more than 600,000 people disabled by arthritis. It is not just "aches and pains". Arthritis and other musculoskeletal diseases cost the Canadian economy $17.8 billion per year.
There are more than 100 different forms of arthritis, but they generally fall into three groups:
Degenerative arthritis, such as Osteoarthritis (OA), which affects approximately three million Canadians
Inflammatory arthritis, such as Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and Spondylitis, which affects approximately one million Canadians
Non-articular rheumatism, such as Fibromyalgia and Sjogren's Syndrome, which affects nearly one and a half million Canadians
