'Alarming Ignorance About Rheumatoid Arthritis | Arthritis Information

A ComRes poll commissioned by the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) published today to co-inside with the launch of the '2009 Year of Rheumatoid Arthritis' campaign reveals alarming levels of ignorance about the disease.

62% of people polled thought that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was caused by the wear and tear of joints over time, exposing a worryingly common misconception about the disease. This figure was worst among young people aged 18-24 (75%).

NRAS revealed the results of the survey at the launch of the '2009 Year of Rheumatoid Arthritis'; a campaign to re-shape people's attitudes to RA and raise awareness about the disease.

RA is an autoimmune disease that is caused when a person's immune system starts attacking healthy joints, most commonly the hands, feet and wrists. Onset of RA can happen at any age. It is very different to osteoarthritis, which is when joints suffer wear and tear damage slowly over many years, most frequently affecting older people.

Commenting on the Poll's findings, NRAS Chief Executive, Ailsa Bosworth said,

"We did not expect the poll to reveal such alarming ignorance about RA and its symptoms. It is shocking how few people understand a condition which affects almost ½million people in the UK. It is especially worrying that young people know so little about RA because early diagnosis and treatment of the disease is vital to prevent joint damage and disability later in life."

73% of those aged 18-24 didn't know that RA is a systemic disease that can affect the whole body including organs such as the heart and lungs and increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/142497.php

I'm sure many of us have come across people who know nothing about RA..... I sure have.Heck, I knew next to nothing about RA before I got it.I knew of it as the "crippling arthritis"I say we start mailing out fliers to random addresses about what RA is. And call random numbers and tell people about what RA is. I think that might heighten awareness.

I would try to do it if I had free long distance and postage LOL!

Hello- My name is wanttobe RAfree and I am on a campaign to promote RA awareness. Did you know that RA is not your grandmother's arthritis? 80% of all people will at some time sucumb to wear and tear or osteoarthritis but RA is a systemic autoinmmune disease that affects not just your joints but....hello...hello....hung up!No... I was thinking more along the lines of yelling into the phone... "OH the pain! OOOOOOH the pain!" heheheheee

For some reason I just want to yell that at someone on the phone LOL! preferably telemarketer like the ones that call for "donations". LOL!

Now I'm off topic but did you ever yell at the automated operator? I get angry when I give my information and they will say OK you said -----and it's wrong and I yell Operator or Agent! Then in a very calm voice she will say- I'm sorry I did not understand you. You want to refill a prescription right? NO! Operator! I'm sorry I did not understand you. Good Bye. Even the automated operator hangs up on you when you get irrate. [QUOTE=joonie]No... I was thinking more along the lines of yelling into the phone... "OH the pain! OOOOOOH the pain!" heheheheee

CathyMarie

I visited a web forum here in NZ today ( I go to this particular one reasonably often) and someone had a query about auto immune diseases. This came about because her Doctor was sending her to a Rheumy because " some tests came back that said I might have the beginnings of an AI disease". Some bright spark replied that it " might only be rheumatoid arthritis or something"!!! ONLY??!! LOLOLOL...

I enlightened them all pretty quickly but have to admit that I too thought it was an old peoples disease before IT enlightened me!

I agree that the general public needs to be much better informed about all AI diseases. If I had known that the aching shoulders I had for a year or so, before a big flare, were associated with RA I would have been to a Doctor much sooner. Hindsight is a wonderful thing huh?

Our Arthritis New Zealand group are doing as much as they can to raise awareness, we have an annual appeal and an orange gerbera is the flower symbol. Well, I think its a gerbera.

Lyn If they are truly serious about changing the public's perception of rheumatoid arthritis, the first thing they need to do is stop calling it Rheumatoid Arthritis, and call it something like rheumatic autoimmune disease, and delete the "arthritis" part. [QUOTE=waddie]

Don't get me started on the commercials! [/QUOTE]

I've been wondering who the commercials are for? If you have been dx'd with RA, surely you are familiar with the relatively few meds out there, right? Who are they trying to reach with all these ads these days??? They've gone beyond the normal evening news hour. I see Enbrel, Humira, and Orencia ads during prime time now. I don't get it.
Ditto the sentiments of the last three posts![QUOTE=Nancy R.]If they are truly serious about changing the public's perception of rheumatoid arthritis, the first thing they need to do is stop calling it Rheumatoid Arthritis, and call it something like rheumatic autoimmune disease, and delete the "arthritis" part.[/QUOTE]

exactly!!!

perfect idea.....

how to go about it? ...............

Rheums are changing 'juvenile rheumatoid arthritis' to 'juvenile idiopathic arthritis'.

I guess they like the arthritis part.
You know how? I'm going to start saying I have RA- then someone will say...RA? What is RA? Then I will say Rheumatic autoimmune disease! The letters are perfect! Great name idea Nancy R!!!! [QUOTE=wanttobeRAfree]You know how? I'm going to start saying I have RA- then someone will say...RA? What is RA? Then I will say Rheumatic autoimmune disease! The letters are perfect! Great name idea Nancy R!!!![/QUOTE]

I like that I think I will do that too, because when you say you have Rheumatoid Arthritis 10 out of 10 people, at least in my experience will say, "oh you have arthritis." They just shrug it off like it's nothing. I am going through that right now in a particular situation and it's frustrating as all get out.

R.A.D.

Yep. I like the ring to that.
Exactly right not everyone knows about this desease. I know my family and friends just were clueless and just this week I had a freind say to me hey Laura maybe you don't have it because I have known you for 9 years and your not crippled up. I said oh but the pain and the fatigue when you want to go out and do something and I can't you think that I just choose not to do so. Ok so I was kind of offended. This is the 1st time since being diagnosed that I have showed any kind of flares thing going on and my freinds and family are shaking there heads how can you be ok one day and the next can't walk or do anything? Thats the way it goes I tell them. I am trying to have a new attitude towards this desease... I am going to have a better outlook I have been so depressed since August with this but I am going to have a attitude of gratitude. Did anyone see Oprah yesterday and Montel Williams talking about MS well same goes for that condition my baby sister has a condition called Mitachondrial myopathy desease and it is the same no one knows about it. Montell ytalked about the depression, the pain, and all the things that go with being chronically ill. It was real good. It made me start thinking about how I am letting this stuff get me down lately so I got my butt out of the house and just went out doing nothing special. It felt good .... good for my brain but physically exausting. Oh well it is a start. Hope everone has a good day. Laura

Me too to all above!

You won't believe this.. on my Disability denial, one thing they said was, "we do not feel your arthritis is severe enough. You can use your arms and legs to a satisfactory level".

-----Whaaaat? I'd like to see them try to do their jobs with my fingers,hips,feet, and debilitating fatigue!!! They did not consider swelling, stiffness, fatigue... only "arthritis".

I have appealed to have a hearing with a judge.

I also wish it wasn't called Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Lupus has joint involvements, but they get to say SLE, although the E should be eliminated if you ask me because that erythematosis that refers to the butterfly rash is really a lesser symptom. But anyway, Systemic Lupus is more telling of how pervasive the disease is.

So I think we should be able to say something like Systemic Rheumatoid Disease.

How does that sound?

I think I'll bring this up to the judge at my hearing.

CathyMarie

Yeah, I just love it when you tell people you have rheumatoid arthritis and they say "Oh, I have that too. In my finger".
My husband is getting frustrated too... The other day at church a very sweet lady came up to me and told me that she also has RA. I asked her what meds she was on and she replied "I just take some motrin when my hands get too stiff". My husband was dumb founded. I had to explain to him later that she may very well have RA, just a mild presentation. He is really over hearing about people's trick knees or tennis
elbows.....God bless him!

I like my former idea of Systemic Rheumatoid Disease

but then I looked at Nancy's idea of just saying RA

for Rheumatoid Autoimmune disease... that might be the ticket!

CathyMarie