New Survey Findings Reveal Emotional And Physical Toll Of Rheumatoid Arthritis And The AdvancementOf Treatment Through “Generations” Survey Results Capture Perspectives Of People Living With Rheumatoid Arthritis And Physicians Treating The Condition Over A Span Of 30 Years (NAPSA)—Emotional and physical limitations are significant challenges cited by people diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to the results released from two new, groundbreaking parallel surveys. According to the GeneRAtions™ surveys—one of which includes feedback from more than 1,000 people living with RA anda second that polled more than 300 physicians specializing in the treatment of RA—people with RA felt sad or depressed because of their disease an average of 25 days in three months and had difficulty with normal daily activities for 31 days in the same time period. The surveys form thebasis of a new disease awarenessinitiative, GeneRA- tions, which is focused on increasing understanding of RA through the perspectives of varying “RA generations”—people who have lived with or physicians who have treated RA for different lengths of time over a 30-year span. “Tt’s difficult to explain to people, even as a former Olympic athlete, why I sometimes struggle because of my RA. Many people don’t understand how great the mental and physical challenges can be when living with this condition,” said Joy Fawcett, Olympic gold medalist and retired member of the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team, who has been living with RA for more than a decade, and is a spokesperson for the GeneRAtions program, developed by Centocor, Inc. “I’m fortunate that in the 10 years since my diagnosis, education and treatmentfor the disease have improved, but we need to Key findings revealed that: More than 90 percent of people with RA surveyed reported thattheir diseaseinterfered with their work in thelast three months, illustrating how RA can impede manyfacets ofpeople'slives. Physicians surveyed rated limitations on physical activities as the most restrictive consequence of RAfor their patients. More than half of patients surveyed agreed that the public does not understand the difference between RA, a chronic autoimmune disorder, and osteoarthritis, which results from wearand tear on the joints. Twooutof three ofall patients surveyed believed that friends and family underestimate the impact of RA. More than half of all respondents felt thattheir doctors do notfully understand the impact of RA ontheir patients. While nearly three outoffive RA patients are satisfied with their physician’s ability to effectively treat their RA with current therapies, more than 80 percent are looking forward to the future for new innovative options. Comprehensive surveyfindings, as well as testimonials from people living with RA and physicians sharing their own personal experiencesrelated to the disease, are available on the program Website, www.RAGeneRAtions.com. @ continue this momentum.” The GeneRAtions surveys, conducted by Manhattan Research and supported by Centocor, Inc., are the first to provide new insights into the physical, emotional and social effects—including the impact of RA on relationships, work and overall daily living—of a debilitating disease that affects 1.3 million Americans. The survey results also highlight changes in physicians’ approaches to treating RA over the past 30 years, the progress that has been made in managing the disease, particularly because of important treatment advances in the past decade, as well as patient and physician perspectives about the future of treatment. “The specialty of rheumatology has made tremendousstrides over the last 30 years when my father, also a rheumatologist, was practicing and aspirin was the standard treatment. Today, the standard treatment for people living with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis includes disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs [DMARDs] and biologic therapies that inhibit specific proteins like tumor necrosis factor [TNF],” said Hayes Wilson, M.D., Chief of Rheumatology, Piedmont Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia. “Initiatives like GeneRAtions will bring awareness to this seriousillness, which can affect entire fami- lies, and in turn may give rheumatologists the opportunity to prevent the debilitating effects of RA.” “Findings from the GeneRA- tions surveys provide interesting perspectives relative to both patient and physician insights,” said Seth D. Ginsberg, Co-Founder and President, CreakyJoints, an arthritis advocacy group. “We are pleased to note the progress made so far in education and treatment and will continue our efforts to increase awareness of RA and improve patients’ qualityoflife.”
