What Are Biologists Doing to Help Solve the Problem of Arthritis

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The initial cause of arthritis in young people is unknown. It is thought that a combination of genetic and environmental factors could trigger arthritis to develop. Most biologists think that an infection with a bacteria or virus could result in arthritis in someone who's genetically susceptible. However, no infection or organism has been identified as the cause yet. Arthritis in young people is a big problem because although approximately 294,000 children under the age of 18 are affected by paediatric arthritis and rheumatologic conditions many people are not aware that arthritis can affect young people. Dr Peter Prouse, consultant rheumatologist at North Hampshire Hospital, says that ‘Doctors often miss cases of arthritis in children,'. He says that ‘it reflects the amount of training that many doctors get with rheumatic diseases. In a course of five years, many medical students will have only two weeks training in rheumatology. It has been a neglected speciality for a very long time.' Because the general public is not aware of arthritis in young people, many parents dismiss their child’s claims of aching joints as growing pains. This means that the arthritis is not diagnosed early enough which can result in permanent joint damage. Arthritis is a complex family of musculoskeletal disorders consisting of more than 100 different diseases or conditions that can affect people of all ages and genders around the world. Arthritis is caused by inflammation of the joints leading to pain, swelling, stiffness, and loss of motion. The three main types of arthritis are osteo arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile arthritis. The two that most commonly affect children and young adults are rheumatoid and juvenile arthritis. Rheumatoid Arthritis is a common chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues,

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