Feb
17
Written by:
Cherri Choate, DPM
2/17/2010
As we start the 21st Century, life expectancy is continuing to increase. Infact, here are a few statistics provided by efmoody.com:
"The number of people 60 or older will grow to nearly 2 billion in 2050, for the first time in recorded history outnumbering those who are younger than 15, a trend that will have an impact on economic growth, investment strategies, tax policy and elections around the world.
The report said the elderly are the world's fastest growing population segment. They now number 629 million, or about one out of every 10 people. While those 80 and older make up 12% of people over 60, they will comprise 19% in 2050, it estimated.
The number of centenarians is projected to increase 15-fold over the same period, to 3.2 million in 48 years from about 210,000 today."
Although these statistics do not deal with health care specifically, the findings can be extrapolated to the demands of health care on both the patient and the health care system in the years to come. I think this generation of children will become the generation of "prevention." I am hopeful that this will become a truth. Along that same line of thought, an article by Woodburn 2003, publsihed in the Journal of Rheumatology dicusses the possible impact of early intervention in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis. In the introduction to the study, the authors reference a few studies that have focused on the process of joint destruction and speculated at an ideal timing for intervention. We are all aware of the synovitis present in RA. It is possible that in early stages of RA where the primary pathology is synovitis and joint effusion, that normal loads on joints actually lead to injury. Perhaps it is during the early stages, when treatment is focused on the systemic symptoms, that mechanical intervention would have the most effective long term gain.
So, could this possibly apply to any degenerative process? If we know what is coming down the track, why not get off the track or change the course early? Why wait for permanent changes to occur? If othotics, bracing or shoe changes, can prevent or slow down the process, then we need to support research that can prove or disprove this. In the meantime, the results presented in the article by Woodburn (2003) encourage a preventative approach to at least one chronic disease group (RA).
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