Rheumatological diseases can affect people during childhood, the most common being juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). As well as a need to generally raise awareness of childhood arthritis, there is also a crucial need to ensure effective transition for these young patients from pediatric to adult care. EULAR - The European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology - included sessions on childhood arthritis at its 2024 congress in Vienna.
Community awareness that children and young people get arthritis is low. This is associated with delays in diagnosis, worse clinical outcomes, and adverse societal factors such as stigma and isolation. Raising awareness of childhood arthritis is crucial in combatting these issues to improve the lives of those living with JIA.
An abstract plenary session at the 2024 EULAR congress shared work from Juvenile Arthritis Research - a patient organization in the UK that is involved in a variety of projects to raise awareness and support JIA patients and their families. These include a variety of formats - from websites and social media campaigns to bookmarks and information packs for schools - as well as large-scale information posters in the windows of a building. It is estimated that over 20,000 vehicles pass these windows every day.
As a result, these initiatives have reached many thousands of people, and generated significant interest. It is hoped that this will prove to be a vital step in reducing delays to diagnosis, as well as lessening the.
