ATLANTA, Feb 26, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Arthritis, common among those having
heart disease, may be a barrier for patients to getting needed physical
activity, a U.S. government study says.
A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said adults with both
heart disease and arthritis are significantly more likely to be physically
inactive than those with heart disease alone.
The study, published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, said
approximately 57 percent of adults with heart disease have arthritis.
In the study, about 29 percent of adults with arthritis and heart disease were
inactive, compared to 21 percent of people with heart disease alone, 18 percent
of those with arthritis and 11 percent of adults with neither condition.
"Engaging in regular physical activity can help reduce arthritis pain and
improve joint function, which in turn can help people with heart disease get
more active and better manage both conditions," study co-author Dr. Chad Helmick
said in a statement.
The researcher used data from the 2005 and 2007 Behavioral Risk Factor
Surveillance System.
The findings also show that the prevalence of physical inactivity for adults
with both heart disease and arthritis varied substantially from state to state
-- ranging from 20.5 percent in Colorado to 50.3 percent in Kentucky.
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Copyright 2009 by United Press International