Making Sense Of Arthritis Treatments (NAPSA)—Selecting the most cost-effective way to treat osteoarthritis—OA—can be a problem or dilemma for many con- sumers. It is also a concernfor professionals in the agingfield. Affecting more than 20.7 million Americans, OA has a sizable impact on the nation’s economy, resulting in seven million doctor visits a year. As a result, the Arthritis Foundation reports that treating OA and other forms of It’s estimated that treating osteoarthritis costs the economy over $120 billion annually. ical expenses andlost productivity. To lower these costs, the Because of this unease, the survey finds that many consumers and the American Pain Society have their doctor about managing their sive treatment options such asexer- their doctor about the costs of different medications if they had the facts to guide this discussion. In responseto these findings, the Alliance for Aging research has arthritis costs the economy almost $125 billion a year, including med- American College of Rheumatology issued guidelines for the treatment of OA, advising those with mild to moderate OA to start with inexpencise and an over-the-counter pain reliever like acetaminophen. These organizations, both of which are independent professional, medical, and scientific societies, concluded that acetaminophen provides the same symptomsrelief as the more expensive prescription arthritis medications, but usually at a lower cost and with fewerside effects like serious stomachirritation. In addi- tion, acetaminophen will not interfere with most over-the-counter and prescription medications consumers may be taking for health problems other than OA. But despite these recommenda- tions, a new surveyfinds that most consumers don’t know how to determine the most cost-effective OA treatments. Conducted by Harris Interactive for the Alliance for Aging Research, this poll of 1,000 Americans aged 18 and over finds that seven in 10 (68 percent) believe that deciding which treat- ments are most cost-effective is difficult and as many as 29 percent say that making this decision is extremely difficult. are looking for help in talking to OA symptoms. Specifically, threequarters of the public (75 percent) say they would be willing to talk to developed a new tool for con- sumers—How-To Guide For Talking To Your Doctor About Osteoarthritis—that can be downloaded from the organization’s Web site (www.agingresearch.org). The “how to” guide includes a checklist of information that a physician would need to know so that he or she can explain the mostcost effec- tive options for treating OA pain. Said Daniel Perry, executive director of the Alliance for Aging Research: “Through this campaign, we hope to encourage more older Americans to talk with their physicians about managing their OA symptoms, recognizing that expert guidelines recommend starting with over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen that are widely available and very cost-effective.” To learn more, visit the Alliance for Aging Research Web site at www.agingresearch.org.
