Arthritis rates high among Aboriginal people

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Arthritis is one of the top three most common chronic diseases among Canadian, and is even more prevalent among members of the country's Aboriginal community. Older Aboriginal women are among the groups hardest hit by the disease.

"Arthritis is a group of diseases made up of a hundred different types of arthritis," said Sheila Renton, coordinator for the Getting a Grip on Arthritis project of the Arthritis Society's Ontario region. "Technically, it means inflammation of the joints and this can cause joint pain, stiffness, swelling and redness."

Renton said it's a myth that arthritis is simply an old person's disease. Arthritis can affect anyone of any age. Even babies under the age of one can develop this lifelong disease, and it can limit their growth and development.

Aboriginal people seem to get arthritis more so than other Canadians do, Renton said. "We don't know why that is but there are a variety of studies that are ongoing.

"We are interested to know if there is some type of genetic component that makes it different," she said. "We think there could be some factors related to hormones. It could be related to the way people use their bodies depending on the type of arthritis that you're talking about."

Renton said individuals should seek help from a health care provider if they suffer from any of the warning signs of arthritis, such as pain in the joint for six weeks or more, stiffness and trouble moving when getting up in the morning, swelling in any of the joints and joint pain that interferes with daily activities.

"What is very important is that the individual learns what type of arthritis they have, if in fact they do have arthritis, because there is a lot of information out there about arthritis," said Renton. "It's important that people become educated about their diagnosis and the way they can self manage the disease. People need to learn what resources are available to them such as therapy and financial resources."

Renton said that when she looks at the regional health survey, it indicates that Aboriginal people seem to be more prone to developing a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes, hypertension and arthritis.

"We understand that arthritis has been identified as one of the top five disease conditions and that needs some attention in Aboriginal communities," she said. "When you compare standardized information, the prevalence of arthritis in Aboriginal people is 27 per cent compared to only 16 per cent in other Canadians, so that is a big problem and we don't have that answer."

Generally, osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. It affects one in 10 Canadians, and it does tend to become more prevalent with age. With this type of arthritis, the cartilage inside the joint wears down. Renton said Aboriginal people do develop this type of arthritis but in most cases, rheumatoid arthritis seems to be the most common among Aboriginal people.

"Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory type of arthritis. It generally affects one in 100 Canadians, but in this case, we think that it does affect Aboriginal people to a greater degree," she said.

"Certainly, Aboriginal people develop osteoarthritis and they get inflammatory types of arthritis probably more so than (other) Canadians do and I don't know why, but we are looking at these ethnic genetic components."

To lessen the chances of developing arthritis, people can make healthy choices such as maintaining a healthy weight, Renton said. This would lower the risk of developing osteoarthritis in the weight barring joints and reduces the stress on joints. She also suggests that people continue to exercise because it will allow them to develop muscles around the joints to help prevent any injury to the joint.

"We believe that having injuries increases the chances of having osteoarthritis," said Renton. "We ask people to warm up before exercising, have good posture and they need to learn how to do apropriate exercise to maintain the range of motion of the joints and to maintain their strength and fitness. So that may mean attending a fitness program, seeing a physiotherapist or doing a home based program. These things that I mentioned are general health choices that we think might prevent osteoarthritis in particular."

Along with maintaining a healthy lifestyle, medication is a key component to living with arthritis. There is a whole range of medications available, Renton said, but the type of arthritis should be determined first in order for the medicine to be effective.

"I believe that medication is important. I think it's a component of the management protocol. If people don't take their medication or eat right and exercise and their arthritis becomes severe because of this, they can become disabled and unable to work on a daily basis and we want to avoid that," she said.

For more information about arthritis, visit the Arthritis Society's Web site at www.arthritis.ca or call the society toll free 1-800-321-1433.