Race and arthritis

A new study has better defined how arthritis affects people of different races and ethnic groups, finding that blacks and Hispanics face significantly more pain and disability when diagnosed with rheumatic diseases than whites. One reason that blacks and Hispanics may face more pain and disability than whites is that these groups are more likely to get the most severe, systemic forms of arthritis like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Also some ethnic groups, such as Native Americans, have higher rates of other health problems that are associated with the development of arthritis. They have more obesity and diabetes, for example, and these are some of the largest drivers of osteoarthritis risk, in particular.