Arthritis impact on US life quality: Morbidity and mortality effects from National Health Interview Survey data 1986-1988 and 1994 using QBXW1 estimates of well-being

Objective: To estimate the impact of arthritis using a general health index and National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data. Methods: Morbidity data came from NHIS Public Use data, from the years 1986-1988 and 1994. The data are 423 400 cases, representing 975 421 153 person-years. Quality of Well-being Scale (QWB) morbidity scores were imputed from NHIS questions about health conditions and limitations in functioning. Both the QWB and multiple linear regression were used to estimate the effects of arthritis with and without adjustments for co-morbidity. Mortality data for NHIS-sampled adults were drawn from the National Death Index by staff of the National Center for Health Statistics. Results: The mean QWB for those with self-reported arthritis was 0.608 on a scale ranging from 0.0 (for death) to 1.0 (for fully functional without symptoms or problems). This observed mean for arthritis is 39.2% below the 1.000 comparison standard. QWB morbidity scores for self-reported arthritis appear (0.701-0.608=) 9.3% more severe than mean effects of all other health conditions. Mortality adds an average 13.8% to the morbidity burden. Persons with arthritis constitute 4.7% of the population, but account for 9.6% of Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) lost to morbidity. Conclusions: Self-reported arthritis is associated with very significant losses in Quality-Adjusted Life in the US population.