2.4 million Australians of working age have arthritis. Over half of $7.6 billion related to arthritis can be attributed to productivity costs reflecting reduced employment rates and an increase in absenteeism resulting from arthritic conditions.
More people in Australia have arthritis than cardiovascular disease, diabetes or asthma (source AICH report)
Arthritic conditions are more prevalent among females, with over 2 million females (19.9% of Australian females) and 1.8 million males (17.1% of Australian males) estimated to have arthritis in 2007.
78% of the people with arthritis reside in NSW , VIC and QLD. In NSW this is approximately 22.8% females and 18.7% males, giving a total of 41.5% of the Australian population.
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