Lupus was named 130 years ago by a French doctor who thought the tell-tale rash on the face resembled bites of a wolf. Today the rash is referred to as butterfly-like but the wolf name persists. "Lupus" is Latin for wolf, and "erythematosus" means reddening of the skin.

Dr. Christiaan Barnard , who performed the first-ever human heart transplant in 1967, was forced into retirement in 1983 by the rheumatoid arthritis that had plagued him since his youth.

Famous actress-comedienne Lucille Ball suffered with rheumatoid arthritis beginning in her teenage years.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, nineteenth century impressionist artist, was crippled by rheumatoid arthritis. His hands were so severely affected that his paintbrush needed to be strapped to his hand so he could continue to paint.

Roman Emperor Diocletian exempted citizens with severe arthritis from paying taxes, no doubt realizing that the disease itself can be taxing enough.

Arthritis is the most widespread crippling disability in the United States today, second only to heart disease as a cause of work disability.

Arthritis is the predominant cause of activity limitation in the United States and is a major determinant of nursing home institutionalization for the elderly.

More than 42.7 million Americans have doctor-diagnosed arthritis.

One million new patients develop arthritis each year.

Approximately 300,000 children have arthritis (juvenile arthritis).

One of every seven people and one in every three families is affected by arthritis.

Forty percent of the population over age 65 have arthritis.

More money is spent by patients with arthritis for quack and unproven remedies in this country than is spent on basic research to find the causes of arthritis.

Arthritis costs the U.S. economy more than $86.2 billion annually.

Arthritis accounts for 427 million days of restricted activities, 156 million days in bed and 45 million days lost in work annually.

At least 25 percent of a general practitioner's time is spent treating arthritis related diseases.

There are over 100 different types of arthritis.

1 in 8 people have osteoporosis.

1 in 10 people have osteoarthritis.

1 in 33 people have fibromyalgia.

1 in 100 people have rheumatoid arthritis.

1 in 1,000 children have juvenile chronic arthritis.

1 in 1,000 people have ankylosing spondylitis.

1 in 2,000 people have systemic lupus erythematosus.

1 in 10,000 people have scleroderma.

REFERENCES:
Facts About Arthritis, Thurston Arthritis Research Center
General Information on Rheumatologic Diseases, Division of Rheumatology, University of Florida
Arthritis Research, Dept. of Orthopedics, University of Washington
Arthritis Foundation