An Interview with the American College of Rheumatology

1. What is your organization’s interest in the Osteoarthritis Action Alliance (OAAA)?

   Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., the American College of Rheumatology(ACR) is an international medical society representing over 9,400 rheumatologists and rheumatology health professionals with a mission to Advance Rheumatology! In doing so, the ACR offers education, research, advocacy and practice management support to help its members continue their innovative work and provide quality patient care.

   Osteoarthritis is a top cause of disability among Americans, and while there is no cure for the disease, persons with OA should be able to live active, productive lives with proper intervention and disease management. The ACR seeks to ensure that physicians and patients alike are equipped with the information they need to successfully manage OA

   2.  What do you think is the most important issue today related to aging and osteoarthritis?

   One of the greatest issues related to osteoarthritis is that there is no cure. As such, the goal of osteoarthritis treatment is to reduce pain and improve function of the affected joints. Most often, this is possible with a mixture of physical measures and drug therapy and, sometimes, surgery.

   It’s important that the general public be aware of the signs and symptoms of OA, so they can seek care as early as possible in order to slow the progression of the disease. Self-management is extremely important with OA and education on exercise, weight-management and pain management techniques could greatly improve the quality of life of patients with OA. Additionally, greater awareness on how lack of physical activity and/or participation in activities that excessively wear the body may affect a person’s risk for developing OA could help decrease the prevalence of the disease in the long-run.

   Not as widely discussed is the detrimental impact OA, and other forms of arthritis, is having on members of our military. One in four veterans is diagnosed with arthritis, compared to one in five member of the general U.S. population, and it is the second leading cause of medical discharge from the U.S. Army. A 10-year review of arthritis in active-duty military found OA rates to be 26 percent higher in the under-20 age group, compared with the same age group in the general population. Despite the prevalence of arthritis in the military, there is currently no dedicated arthritis medical research budget at the Department of Defense to pursue prevention strategies and treatment efforts for this high-risk population. More than 20 specific diseases have dedicated research budgets at the Department of Defense, yet arthritis does not.

   3. How does your organization’s work connect to issues in osteoarthritis?

   The ACR offers education and clinical practice resources for clinicians to remain current with the best practices for diagnosing and treating OA. In 2012, the ACR released updated recommendations for the use of non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic therapies in osteoarthritis of the hand, hip and knee. The recommendations were developed through an extensive literature review of the best science available related to OA treatment. While they are not meant to be prescriptive, the recommendations provide clinicians with evidence-based guidance to approaching OA treatment with their patients.

   Patients can also learn more about OA, common treatments, and other rheumatic diseases in the dedicated “Patients and Caregivers” section of the ACR website. The section contains informative fact sheets, videos and articles dedicated to helping patients learn more about rheumatic diseases and becoming involved participants in their care. Simple Tasks is the ACR’s public-facing awareness initiative that helps provide patients with additional resources on how to become self-advocates. We were excited to invite the OAAA to partner with us in June 2016 for our monthly #RheumChat that takes place the third Thursday of each month on Twitter. The chats are a great way for patients to connect online and provide support to one another while learning more about different aspects of living with a rheumatic disease.

   The ACR has also been working with the Arthritis Foundation and American Osteopathic Association to encourage Congress to create a dedicated $20 million arthritis program within the Department of Defense’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) to aid treatment and prevention efforts. A dedicated arthritis research program at the Department of Defense would help serve the research needs of the military patient population and could lead to discoveries that benefit all those living with arthritis. It is important that lawmakers understand the impact of OA – and other forms of arthritis – on our military and the American public and fund initiatives that seek to reduce this impact.

   4. What is a headline you’d like to see about osteoarthritis in five years?

“Advancements in Arthritis Care and Research Result in Better Outcomes for OA Patients” would be a great headline to see. Five years is likely too short of a time period to know whether strides in patient/clinician education, public awareness and an increased focus on disease prevention techniques have truly reduced the prevalence of OA. However, more can be done to ensure patients are being diagnosed early, receiving quality OA care and leading active lifestyles with a good quality of life. In the end, better outcomes for patients is the ultimate goal.

5. What is one interesting fact you’d like people to know about your organization?

   The ACR and our sister organization, the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP), hosts an annual scientific meetingwhere thousands of rheumatology abstracts are presented. More than 5,500 pieces of research were presented just during the last two meetings. Each year, our Committee on Communications and Marketing reviews the abstracts to select about 25 to highlight in press conferences. Out of the 48 chosen during the last two meetings, approximately 20 percent have focused on OA treatments and patient outcomes. We are optimistic this shows that newsworthy strides are being made in this area. All of the abstracts from the meetings are available online at www.acrabstracts.org for those interesting in seeing the research that was presented and reading it throughout the year.