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Child Abuse Victims At Risk For Arthritis

Child abuse has a long-term effect on an individual's well-being. It is not unusual for individuals who experienced abuse in their youth to go on to suffer from depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or even impaired brain development. Now researchers say that childhood physical abuse may also put its victims at risk for arthritis later in life.

University of Toronto researchers have found that 10.2 percent of individuals with osteoarthritis, a chronic condition involving deep joint pain and swelling, report having been physically abused as children. Just 6.5 percent of the general population reports this abuse.