Fighting the fire of arthritis
Arthritis impacts one in five people in Canada – more than any other chronic health condition. And half the Canadians diagnosed with arthritis are under 65. istock.com
Six million Canadians are locked in a daily battle against arthritis. For some, devastating pain limits their ability to work and live independently. Many suffer in silence. Without action, the number of Canadians whose lives are derailed by arthritis will total nine million by 2040.
“The Arthritis Society is determined to be a relentless counterforce against the fire of arthritis to give people their lives back,” says Trish Barbato, president and CEO of the Arthritis Society.
During September, Arthritis Awareness Month, the focus is on raising funds and awareness to elevate understanding of the seriousness of the disease, drive research and find a cure.
“A big part of the challenge is changing people’s attitudes about arthritis,” says Duncan Mathieson, chair of the board of directors of the Arthritis Society.
“Arthritis is an underdog. People don’t pay much attention to it. And if you have it, you minimize it because society makes you feel like it’s not a big deal. ”
Arthritis impacts one in five people in this country – more than any other chronic health condition. It’s often thought to affect only the elderly. In reality, more than half of people diagnosed with arthritis are under 65. In Canada, some 25,000 children live with the disease.
The myth that arthritis is “just wear and tear” leads to the downplaying of symptoms, says Barbato. “Arthritis is an underdog. People don’t pay much attention to it. And if you have it, you minimize it because society makes you feel like it’s not a big deal.”
“A big part of the challenge is changing people’s attitudes about arthritis. We need to make sure it’s top of mind for policy makers.”
There are more than 100 different types of arthritis, categorized as either osteoarthritis or inflammatory arthritis. The latter includes autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, whereby the body’s immune system attacks joint tissues and, in some cases, internal organs.
Osteoarthritis is a factor in most knee and hip replacement surgeries, says Mathieson. While the medically recommended timeline for this surgery is six months, wait times of 18 to 24 months are common. The Arthritis Society is calling for change, he adds. “We need to make sure it’s top of mind for policy-makers. That wait period prolongs pain for these people.”
With the support of Canadians, the Arthritis Society aims to raise $1-million during Arthritis Awareness Month to continue pushing for better outcomes and funding life-changing research. Recent studies have laid the groundwork for new medications that could slow the degeneration of spinal discs and are bringing us closer to finding safe and effective cell-based therapies for osteoarthritis. Mathieson and Barbato are also optimistic about the Arthritis Society’s newly launched innovation grants competition designed to fuel breakthrough discoveries.
The fight to find a cure that gives millions of people their lives back is a community effort, says Barbato. “People can help us by investing in the future, to extinguish arthritis.”
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To view the full report as it appeared in The Globe's print edition: Arthritis Awareness Month