Arthritis income loss: Sharyce looks healthy but hasn't been able to work in years because of a condition many Aussies believe she can't have

Sharyce Helyar looks perfectly healthy but she hasn't been able to work in years.

The 27-year-old from Adelaide lives with arthritis, which is the second most common cause for time taken off work in Australia (after traumatic injury).

It's also the second most common cause of early retirement due to ill-health.

By 2030, the loss of personal income due to arthritis is projected to hit $2.6 billion.

But many Australians still mistakenly believe someone Helyar's age couldn't have arthritis, despite the fact she's been living with it for more than 20 years.

Almost 65 per cent of Australians mistakenly believe arthritis mainly affects people over 65, according to new YouGov polling commissioned by Arthritis Australia.

But two-thirds of the 4.11 million cases in Australia are in working