Arthritis sufferers given fresh hope

Aug 14 2008 by Chris Robinson, The Journal

Heavy burden

RYAN Clark was sports-mad as a child.

But at 15 he was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

Now, 25 years later, the civil servant said the condition was leaving him in constant pain.

He said: “I’m in pain every minute of the day. Sometimes it gets too much, but to be honest it becomes part of your life.

“I was heavily involved in sport and was a very active young lad, but I started getting a tightness across my hands and Achilles tendons.

“I had to give up my civil engineering apprenticeship when I left school as I found it difficult to climb stairs.”

Mr Clark, 41, who lives with his girlfriend Lyndsey Higgins, 31, in Chapel Park, Newcastle, welcomed new research into the condition.

He said: “It’s exciting, especially for people who have been newly diagnosed so they don’t have to go through what I have gone through.

“If this does come to fruition it means that people who are diagnosed, especially younger people, will have the chance to live a life of full and active life.”

Joints affected

RHEUMATOID arthritis (RA) is an auto-immune disease in which the joints in the body become inflamed.

Initially, the hands and feet are affected, but any joint may later become affected. RA can make your joints feel stiff and can leave you feeling generally unwell and tired. Most people get fluctuating pain and stiffness that gets worse during flare-ups.