According to the Arthritis Society of Canada, one in every five Canadian lives with the pain of arthritis which has no cure. With this huge number of 6 million Canadians with 620,000 Albertans living with arthritis, MLA Jackie Armstrong-Humeniuk, representing the Government of Alberta, standing shoulder to shoulder with Arthritis Society’s President and CEO, Janet Yale, September was declared arthritis awareness month. This announcement took place on September 18, 2019, at Edmonton Chamber of Commerce at an event organized by the Arthritis Society of Canada.
The Arthritis Society is the largest non government funder of Arthritis research in Canada with about $5 million per year spent on research. Two research grants for Alberta researchers were announced at this event. On a fireside chat that followed the announcement, Janet called for everyone involved with arthritis; patients, doctors, and everyone to lend their voice to help put the issues of arthritis in government policies. MLA Armstrong-Humeniuk whose father and brother have been suffering from arthritis promised to take the issues raised at the event to Alberta Health Minister, “…our government is committed to any red tape reduction…the more of us who complain about it and submit the red tape, the more it gets high profiled…”
Arthritis becomes more common with age, a common reason why people miss work and can result in a decreased quality of life. The term arthritis is derived from arthr- (meaning joint) and -itis (meaning inflammation). Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In some types of arthritis, other organs are also affected.
“Six million Canadians are living with arthritis – including nearly 620,000 Albertans – making it Canada’s most common chronic condition,” says Yale. “For many the impact is devastating, as pain and restricted mobility erode their quality of life. Through our funding awards for these centres of clinical and research excellence, as well as our individual investigator awards, the Arthritis Society is proud to support greater access to quality care – and to help drive discoveries that will improve lives and ultimately deliver a cure.”
For more information on arthritis, please go to https://arthritis.ca/
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