ACR Advocates for Dedicated Department of Defense Arthritis Research Funding

The ACR and RheumPAC, together with the Arthritis Foundation, are advocating for a dedicated line item in the CDMRP budget to allocate $20 million per year for arthritis research to better understand how to keep our service members healthy, allow them to conclude their careers on their own terms and live more comfortably in retirement. Visit the ACR’s Legislative Action Center to ask lawmakers to support funding for a dedicated DOD arthritis research program.

References

1. Cameron KL, Hsiao MS, Owens BD, et al. Incidence of physician-diagnosed osteoarthritis among active duty United States military service members. Arthritis Rheum. 2011 Oct;63(10):2974–2982.
2. Kopec JA, Rahman MM, Berthelot JM, et al. Descriptive epidemiology of osteoarthritis in British Columbia, Canada. J Rheumatol. 2007 Feb;34(2):386–393.
3. Cross JD, Ficke JR, Hsu JR, et al. Battlefield orthopaedic injuries cause the majority of long-term disabilities. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2011;19 Suppl 1:S1–S7.
4. Rivera JC, Wenke JC, Buckwalter JA, et al. Posttraumatic osteoarthritis caused by battlefield injuries: The primary source of disability in warriors. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2012;20 Suppl 1:S64–S69.
5. Dominick KL, Golightly YM, Jackson GL. Arthritis prevalence and symptoms among US non-veterans, veterans, and veterans receiving Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare. J Rheumatol. 2006 Feb;33(2):348–354.
6. Department of Defense. Congressionally directed medical research programs.
7. Geiger BC, Wang S, Padera RF Jr., et al. Cartilage-penetrating nanocarriers improve delivery and efficacy of growth factor treatment of osteoarthritis. Sci Transl Med. 2018 Nov 28;10(469). pii: eaat8800.