Britain is facing an osteoarthritis (OA) time bomb as cases are set to double to over 17 million by 2030 according to OANation 2012, a new report released today by the charity Arthritis Care. <br /><br />The number of people living with osteoarthritis is predicted to rise dramatically over the next 20 years as two of the main risk factors for developing the disease -- obesity rates and an ageing population (over 50) − are projected to increase. <br /><br />Of the 8.5 million people in the UK who suffer with OA - the joint related illness commonly occurring in hips, knees and hands - 71% are currently in some form of constant pain due to their condition, with one in eight (over 1 million people in the UK) describing the pain as "unbearable". The report also shows that one in five people had to give up work or retire early -- on average 7.8 years early - because of their symptoms.
