Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month

Arthritis is not just a disease of the elderly. It's one of the most common chronic illnesses affecting children. Recent data suggest that as many as 4 per 1,000 or 1 in 250 children and youth deal with juvenile arthritis  on a daily basis.

In March, The arthritis Society is highlighting opportunities for Canadians to make an investment in arthritis research that supports children, parents, grandparents, siblings and friends in their fight against juvenile arthritis  by going to the website www.arthritis.ca

Gail Nowlan, whose son Joshua was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis  at 18 months old says arthritis "has affected our entire family.

"We want Joshua to live as normal a life as possible and enjoy the same physical experiences as other children his age but are careful not to push him too hard.

"With the medication he is taking, he usually doesn't show any pain or limitations so sometimes we forget they are still there. By encouraging our community to invest in research projects that will better the life of our child and others living in Canada, my son and our family can fight juvenile arthritis  and hope that one day arthritis will be a thing of the past."

Steven McNair, president and CEO of The Arthritis Society of Canada, says that as part of the Society's mission to better the lives of children like Joshua, "we have invested in research specifically dedicated to juvenile arthritis . One of The Arthritis Society's biggest investments into children living with juvenile arthritis  is its five-year, $250,000 national research commitment to Dr. Rosenberg at the University of Saskatchewan and his team of researchers who are located across eight different provinces."

Through support from a variety of partners, Dr. Rosenberg and his team were able to leverage The Arthritis Society's seed funding into $1.6 million. This enables their team to study how the interaction of genes, environment and lifestyle early in a child's life, and their arthritis can help predict outcomes of juvenile arthritis , such as joint damage and diminished quality of life.

Causes of juvenile arthritis  are still unknown and any answers provided by this research will bring us closer to prevention, and ultimately a cure.

Other investments by The Arthritis Society to Juvenile Arthritis include:

• A Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board Project hosting focus groups to educate teachers to help identify those in their class with arthritis and help them manage their arthritis and have a fulfilling educational experience;

• Dr. Rae Yeung: Research Investigator at University of Toronto and Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto;

• Education Forums in Ontario for 100 parents who are affected by juvenile arthritis ;

• An investment toward an interactive website "Teens Taking Charge" designed for teenagers living with arthritis, and

• Providing physical therapy, occupational therapy and counseling to children and their families affected by juvenile arthritis in Ontario

The arthritis Society is Canada's principal health charity which empowers the nearly 4.5 million Canadians with arthritis to live their lives to the fullest by combating the daily limitation of arthritis. Over the last 60 years, The Arthritis Society has invested $160 million towards arthritis research to develop better treatments an ultimately find a cure.

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