Thursday, September 2, 2010

Inflammation of the joints, pain in the legs and inability to move freely are bad enough when you’re getting on in years. But can you imagine the pain and frustration for a child? They are just some of the symptoms associated with arthritis, traditionally known as an old man’s disease.

But it can also be diagnosed in children as young as three or four, and in some cases, newborn babies.

There are more than 100 different types of arthritis, and around 20 per cent of the UAE population, both locals and expats, have been diagnosed with some form of the disease.

Just one in 100,000 children are diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis worldwide. Little Mustafa Atef, at nine years old, is one of these children.

He was diagnosed with arthritis when he was six, and his mother, Abeer, remembers how much he suffered. “He couldn’t walk properly, especially in the mornings,” she said. “We had to hold him as he could never walk alone.

As a baby, he was normal, but when he started school he began complaining about being in a lot of pain.”

Mustafa’s parents took him to several doctors in the UAE, but no one could pinpoint what the problem was. “They said he was normal, and we should just give him medicine for the pain. We tried that but it didn’t help,” said Abeer.

The pain didn’t make things easy for Mustafa at school. He explains: “I used to sit on the side during PE lessons and watch my friends play football. They would ask why I wasn’t playing and I would tell them my leg hurt.

“At the beginning I felt abnormal. I used to feel lonely,” he added. “My sister carried my school bag on the bus for me and came with me to my class. During break time, my friends would go outside and run around, but because my legs hurt, I would sit in the classroom by myself and eat. I felt left out.”

Finally the family went to Egypt, their native country, where they were told he had juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

Back in the UAE, they contacted the Emirates Arthritis Foundation (EAF), who now help with payments for Mustafa’s medication.

“At the beginning we had to pay dhs1,500 a week for all the blood tests, consultations and injections but when we found the EAF, they helped us out and now cover all our costs, which is a big help,” said Abeer.

The cost of treatment for arthritis can be huge. Katrina Thornley, patient support director for EAF and a sufferer of arthritis since childhood, said: “Treatment can cost up to dhs72,000 per year for one patient. It’s a big issue in the UAE as most insurers don’t cover the cost, and if you don’t have insurance, you have to pay up yourself.”

Katrina, 28, was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis when she was just two years old, and is glad that education and treatment have improved now.

“The medication I took only prevented the side effects. It didn’t prevent the illness from progressing,” she explains. “I can’t move my neck very much, and I had to have surgery on my jaw,” she said.

“Only when I turned 18 and changed rheumatologists did I get the right medication, but by then the damage had
been done. I couldn’t reverse it but I could stop it getting worse.”

Anyone who thinks they might be a sufferer should contact EAF as mismanagement can lead to serious damage, doctors say.

 Dr Humeira Badsha, consultant rheumatologist at Al Biraa Arthritis and Bone Centre (ABABC) in Umm Suqeim and vice chairperson of EAF, said: “I saw a little girl of eight who had severe deformities. She ultimately died as a result of complications.”

Dr Ayman Mofti, general manager at ABABC, agreed with the importance of early detection. He said: “Arthritis can be severe. If it is not diagnosed early, it can cause severe damage, loss of functions and joint deformities.”

A cure may be out of reach at present, but correct management could allow sufferers to lead a normal and comfortable life.

American pop sensation Lady Gaga’s recently suffered a health scare that brought  Lupus, or ‘Systemic Lupus Erythematosus’, into the public eye. Although treatable, it is a connective tissue disease that causes the body’s immune system to attack itself.

Some symptoms of the disease may include extreme fatigue, joint pain and also depression. Log on to www.arthritis.ae or contact the Al Biraa Arthritis & Bone Centre on 04 348 7035 if you are worried about either Lupus or arthritis