October 10, 2016.
On the occasion of the world day against rheumatism and the French initiative “Together against rheumatism” (ECR) which will take place on October 12, it is time to take stock of rheumatism and dispel common misconceptions. regarding.
Rheumatism doesn’t just affect the elderly
The National Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm) carried out a survey on “ The French and rheumatism », Which helps dispel preconceived ideas about pain that too many of us neglect. First, rheumatism does not only affect the elderly. According to the work of Inserm, 93% of French people have already suffered from joint pain.
” In France, nearly 600,000 adults suffer from inflammatory rheumatism and nearly 10 million French people suffer from osteoarthritis », Specifies Inserm in a press release. But that’s not all, young people can also suffer from joint pain. According to this survey, 1 in 3 young people, aged 18 to 24, as well as nearly 4,000 children suffer from inflammatory rheumatism.
Joint pain shouldn’t be taken lightly
Another misconception: joint pain is not serious. ” When you suffer from osteoarthritis of the knee, the risk of cardiovascular mortality is increased by 50% “, explains Prof. Francis Berenbaum, President of the French Rheumatology Society and Inserm researcher. ” If we want to fight against a sedentary lifestyle, we should no longer consider rheumatism as benign. You have to learn to preserve your joints as you preserve your heart “.
In addition, joint pain can seriously affect everyday life. 65% of those questioned declared that their rheumatism had an impact on their sleep, 30% had to limit or even temporarily stop their professional activity and more than half (56%) had to stop their leisure time.
Think you can’t cure rheumatism? However, there are treatments. “These are biotherapies such as anti-TNFs, which specifically target molecules of inflammation”, specifies Inserm. ” These findings revolutionized the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis or spondylitis. “
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