One in six suffer arthritis in silence

ONE in six people in Ireland suffer in silence, according to a leading consultant rheumatologist, because they feel they should not trouble their doctor with pains associated with growing old.

Dr Douglas Veale, consultant rheumatologist at St Vincent’s Hospital, Dublin called on the Government to give a higher priority to pain management after a European-wide report showed 42% of people with chronic pain suffer in silence.

Support group Arthritis Action Ireland (AAI) surveyed 5,803 people with musculoskeletal problems and chronic pain and 1,483 doctors across eight countries.

Up to 70% of those surveyed said the pain associated with musculoskeletal problems or arthritis significantly impaired their quality of life.

One of the main reasons four out of 10 failed to seek medical help was a belief that it was pointless troubling their GP.

“The impact of chronic pain on quality of life highlighted by this survey requires immediate political action and the recognition of chronic pain as a major healthcare priority,” said AAI chairman Dr Veale.

Europe’s growing aged population and the social and economic consequences of chronic pain and arthritis conditions must be considered, he said.

“It is clear from this survey that attitudes to pain in our community are poorly informed and that many people do not even seek help or treatment,” Dr Veale said.

Noting that over 40% of people felt chronic pain was a consequence of growing older, Sinéad Cunningham, Arthritis Foundation of Ireland, said this showed the need for more open communication between healthcare professionals and their patients. This in turn should lead to better access to effective treatments.

The survey showed 96% of doctors prescribed traditional anti-inflammatory drugs despite the availability of new drugs causing less serious side effects.

Up to 60% of patients surveyed admitted the side effects of traditional medication for rheumatoid and osteo-arthritis were often worse than the symptoms.

Some 44% of patients believed they were to take their medication only on an as-needed basis. The survey said this misunderstanding causes patients to experience unnecessary pain.