Arthritis limits the basic activities of those it affects such as standing, bending, walking and climbing stairs. Today, about 54 million people in the United States and 350 million people worldwide have doctor-diagnosed arthritis. Although commonly misunderstood as a disease that only elderly people face, two-thirds of people with arthritis are under the age of 65, including an estimated 300,000 children. In fact, infants––as young as one year old––can be affected by systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis. But the risk of arthritis does increase with age. Almost half of adults 65 years old or older have arthritis. 

This means that one in five people over the age of 18 and one in 250 children are affected by arthritis. By the year 2030, 67 million people are expected to have doctor-diagnosed arthritis, making it the nation’s number one cause of disability. Doctor-diagnosed arthritis is more common in women (26%) than in men (18%). In some types, such as rheumatoid arthritis, women far outnumber men.

Arthritis and other non-traumatic joint disorders are among the five costliest conditions among adults 18 and older. Every year, people with arthritis and other rheumatic conditions give up potential income ("lost wages") due to injury or illness. Arthritis and related conditions account for:

• $156 billion annually in lost wages and medical expenses

• 44 million outpatient visits

• Nearly 1 million hospitalizations

• 621,000 health care profession visits every year

Alpha Omicron Pi is passionate to help find a cause. As an international foundation, we raise over $1.75 million dollars biannually for the Arthritis Foundation which supports all Juvenile Arthritis (JA) camps, both JA National Conferences, JA Power Packs, "Connect on Campus" JA programming and arthritis research. Recently, the Alpha Omicron Pi Foundation celebrated 50 years of partnership with the Arthritis Foundation.

In the spring, AOII chapters support the Walk to Cure Arthritis, and in November and December, chapters participate in the Jingle Bell Run. Our chapters donated more than 1,600 pandas to children attending the two
Juvenile Arthritis Conferences, and more than 40 National Juvenile Arthritis camps are supported by AOll through funding and personal involvement.

Learn more about the Fraternity’s involvement with the Arthritis Foundation through the Alpha Omicron Pi Foundation.