When you were in high school what was your favorite subject?  Besides music, it was anything math-related for me.  I didn’t much care for words, which is ironic since now I spend time putting thoughts and information into understandable and relatable words.  I preferred trigonometry, calculus, physics, even chemistry and algebra. Now I’m about to reveal how much of a mathematics geek I truly am.

Here’s a word problem for you.

* Diabetes affects nearly 24 million people in the United States (almost 8 percent of the population) according to 2007 prevalence data estimates released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  Recent research reveals that prevalence of diabetes in the U.S. is 13.7% among men and 11.7% among women older than 30 years of age.  Undiagnosed diabetes may range anywhere from 2.1-3.7% of the adult population.

* An estimated 43 million people in the U.S. have arthritis or other rheumatic conditions according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), a division of the National Institutes of Health.  The more than 100 rheumatic diseases, characterized by inflammation and of loss of function in supporting or connecting structures of the body, are a more frequent cause of activity limitation than heart disease, cancer, or diabetes.

* Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease of the immune system which first targets the synovium, or lining of the joint, resulting in pain, stiffness, swelling, joint damage, and loss of function.  Inflammation most often affects joints of the hands and feet and tends to occur symmetrically which helps to distinguish it from other diseases.  The Arthritis Foundation estimates that 1.3 million Americans, or about 0.6 percent of the U.S. adult population, live with rheumatoid arthritis.

* In 2008, the CDC released an analysis of data collected during phone surveys conducted in 2005 and 2007 as part of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).  Of nearly 800,000 persons who self-reported living with doctor-diagnosed diabetes, 52% answered yes to the question - "Have you ever been told by a doctor or other health professional that you have some form of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus, or fibromyalgia?" 

* The Arthritis Foundation reports a Diabetes-Arthritis connection with the following statement found on their website - “New research shows that people with diagnosed diabetes are nearly twice as likely to have arthritis - about 53 percent of people with diabetes also have arthritis.”

The question to be answered is:

How many people in the U.S. live with both diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis?

a) 12.5 million people
b) 1.3 million people
c) 416,000 people
d) 3.4 million people
e) none of the above

What was your answer?  Hopefully, it was E, none of the above.