10 Worst States For Arthritis

8. Maine

2009 prevalence: 32.3 percent.

2014 Prevalence: 33.3 percent.

Prevalence change: 1 percentage point

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7. Kansas

2009 prevalence: 26.4 percent.

2014 Prevalence: 27.5 percent.

Prevalence change: 1.1 percentage points.

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6. Alabama

2009 prevalence: 38.1 percent

2014 Prevalence: 39.7 percent.

Prevalence change: 01.6 percentage points.

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5 Terrible States for Arthritis

In the states that rank fifth through 10th in terms of arthritis prevalence, the percentage of people in the 45-54 age group touched by arthritis increased by 0.9 percentage points to 1.6 percentage points between 2009 and 2014.

In the states in first to fifth place, the percentage touched by arthritis went up much faster.

The increase in some states might be partly because of the introduction of lucrative new arthritis drugs.

Fighting arthritis can be a good moneymaker for pharmaceutical companies. The London-based International Federation of Health Plans says the full cost of one popular brand-name drug for fighting rheumatoid arthritis, Humira, cost about $30,000 to $36,000 per year in the United States in 2015. Zipsor, a drug for osteoarthritis, can cost about $12,000 per year.

That kind of money could encourage drug companies to push physicians to look harder for people with arthritis. Promotional campaigns might work better in some markets than others.

But factors such as nutrition, exercise habits or other factors could also increase the odds that people in some areas will develop arthritis.

Either way: The states on this page seem to have experienced a dramatic increase in arthritis prevalence.

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5. Delaware

2009 prevalence: 26.8 percent.

2014 Prevalence: 28.8 percent.

Prevalence change: 2 percentage points.

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4. Massachusetts

2009 prevalence: 25.5 percent.

2014 Prevalence: 29.1 percent.

Prevalence change: 3.6 percentage points

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3. Georgia

2009 prevalence: 25.5 percent.

2014 Prevalence: 29.9 percent.

Prevalence change: 4.4 percentage points.

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2. West Virginia

2009 prevalence: 38 percent.

2014 Prevalence: 42.5 percent.

Prevalence change: 4.5 percentage points

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1. Tennessee

2009 prevalence: 29.7 percent.

2014 Prevalence: 36.6 percent.

Prevalence change: 6.9 percentage points.

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