Childhood Arthritis and the Shining Light of Hope

Arthritis is a condition which you’d traditionally associate with the elderly or the soon to be elderly but what many may not be aware of is that, though it might be less common, it can affect younger people too. In youths, especially in children it can be much more difficult to spot the symptoms as they tend to be much more active and as such more prone to getting aches and bumps on their own accord. The condition can be fairly crippling for kids and it’s one of the last things you’d ever want them to have to suffer through, especially considering that kids are supposed to run around like mad things and not have to have their movements constrained by constant pain.
Regardless, life is rarely fair and there are a lot of children who suffer from arthritis worldwide. There are a lot of treatments available for arthritis and some will be more effective for some people than others. A new and exciting treatment is being pioneered currently and so far it’s shown some good promise!

It’s called Actemra and it’s a kind of interleukin-6 blocker. After 3 months of treatment with this new drug 85% of kids who were treated showed at least 30% improvement in their symptoms which was a great deal higher than those children who received the placebo.  What does this mean for you?

Well, if your child is unfortunate enough to suffer from arthritis, it could well be a ray of hope. They could experience better mobility and with it an entirely new lease on life. Unfortunately it may well be a while before the treatment becomes widely available but remember to talk to your GP and find out if it’ll arrive in your area any time soon! Good news for parents and kids alike!