Joint Pain Forum – News you can use!
RA
Patients Suffer In Silence To Stay On Drugs, UK
12
Oct 2007
As
edited by Joint-Pain-Forum.com
New research highlighting the devastating impact of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on
peoples' lives has found that one third of people with RA do not always tell
their healthcare professionals the true extent of their symptoms.1
When
asked why, 19% of respondents to the ICM poll confessed that they were worried
about having their treatment taken away1 and one in four admitted that they were
worried that there might not be any other treatment options available.1
Dr Andrew Ostör, Consultant Rheumatologist at Addenbrooke's Hospital
Cambridge, said: "These findings make for worrying reading. We know the key to
effective disease management is open and honest communication between patients
and their clinician and these results suggest this isn't happening, leaving
patients in unnecessary pain. There are a variety of treatments available,
including recently approved therapies such as rituximab which targets the
B-cells in the inflammatory cascade. It should be within the grasp of all people
with RA to have their disease effectively managed."
Sue Oliver, a Nurse
Consultant in Rheumatology, commented: "We need to make sure we are encouraging
patients to talk openly about their symptoms. Ensuring that they not only know
what to expect from their current treatments but also what options are available
should these not work. Only when we have open and honest communication with
patients will we be able to make truly informed treatment decisions, minimising
the impact of this debilitating disease on the lives of those affected."
Stakeholders are calling for better communication between healthcare
professionals and patients to improve management of this debilitating
condition.
The ReAlife Campaign, sponsored by Roche
Products Ltd, strives to improve understanding of the day-to-day impact of RA
and make sure the real price of the disease is not forgotten.
----------------------------
Article
adapted by
www.Joint-Pain-Forum.com from original press release.
----------------------------
About the research
The research was conducted amongst 400 people
with rheumatoid arthritis. It found that:1
· 61% of people think their RA
has had a negative effect on their sex life
· 70% of people aged 25-34
feel that RA has had a negative impact on their relationship with their
partner
· 15% agree it was a contributing fact in their divorce/
separation
· 36% agree the disease makes it difficult to embark on new
relationships
About RA
There are currently over 487,000
people in England and Wales with RA,2,3 many of whom will only be in their 30s
when the disease onsets.4 The disease can cause relentless pain, extreme
fatigue, disability and has significant impact on peoples' social and working
lives. Between 1999-2000, 9.4 million working days were lost in Great Britain
due to this disease, the equivalent of £833 million in lost production.5 RA is
an autoimmune disease characterised by inflammation that leads to painful, stiff
and swollen joints.
About Roche in the UK
Roche aims to
improve people's health and quality of life with innovative products and
services for the early detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of
disease. Part of one of the world's leading healthcare groups, Roche in the UK
employs nearly 2,000 people in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Globally Roche
is the leader in diagnostics, and a major supplier of medicines for the
treatment of cancer, transplantation, virology, bone and rheumatology, obesity
and renal anaemia. Find out more at http://www.rocheuk.com
1. ICM Research. Rheumatoid
Arthritis. June 2007
2. Symmons D, Turner G, Webb R et al. The
prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in the United Kingdom: new estimates for a
new century. Rheumatology 2002; 41: 793 - 800.
3. National
Statistics Online, UK Population Estimates, Please
click here. Accessed 6/08/2007
4. NetDoctor. Please click here.
5. Department of Works and
Pensions. Analytical Services Division http://www.dwp.gov.uk In Arthritis Research Campaign
(ARC) Arthritis: the big picture 2002 please click
here. [Accessed 19/06/06]
http://www.rocheuk.com
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