NEW YORK, Mar 07 (Reuters Health) - Black and Hispanic adults are more likely to suffer from arthritis than their white counterparts, according to researchers.

Their national survey of nearly 7,500 adults aged 70 and older found that 40% of blacks, 44% of Hispanics and 25% of whites reported seeing a doctor for arthritis in the previous year. Lower levels of education, lower income and fewer assets were also associated with arthritis, the findings indicate.

And among those with the chronic condition, blacks and Hispanics were more likely to be limited by the disorder irrespective of socioeconomic factors such as income and education. For example, 30% of blacks, 37% of Hispanics and 29% of whites reported difficulty performing daily activities such as bathing, eating and dressing.

The study "suggests that arthritis may be more severe in those (black and Hispanic) ethnic groups," Dr. Dorothy D. Dunlop and colleagues from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, write in a recent issue of Arthritis and Rheumatism.

Arthritis can include rheumatoid arthritis, which is an autoimmune disease, and osteoarthritis--a disease associated with aging in which cartilage breaks down over time. Both types can lead to severe pain and serious restrictions in daily functioning. The reasons why certain ethnic groups appear to have higher rates and more severe arthritis is not clear. However, the data support previous studies showing higher rates of some forms of arthritis among minorities. Researchers have speculated that differences in bone density, job-related factors, obesity rates, smoking and dietary factors may contribute to risk.

"Further study is needed to confirm and elucidate the reasons for these racial and economic disparities in older populations," Dunlop and colleagues conclude.

The study authors note that the number of Americans with arthritis is expected to rise to more than 59 million people by the year 2020 from nearly 40 million people in 1990--the increase due largely to the aging of the population.

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