Indigenous Peoples Prone to Arthritis
While many of Canada’s leading researchers are still unraveling the mystery of why Indigenous peoples are more prone to arthritis than most other backgrounds, one thing remains very clear – arthritis may be common, but it’s not normal.
“Many people have arthritis, especially in remote communities. What we’ve been trying to stress, in our research and model of care work, is that arthritis isn’t normal,” said Dr. Cheryl Barnabe, a rheumatologist and associate professor at the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary.
As a rheumatologist who cares for individuals with inflammatory types of arthritis, Barnabe’s practice takes her to the Tsuut’ina, Siksika and Blood reserves in Southern Alberta, Canada, every month, with a stop at the Elbow River Healing Lodge.
Indigenous peoples have two to three times the instances of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), and it strikes at least a decade sooner than it does in other populations.
“There’s also a lot of confusion about the different types of arthritis. There are some types that need treatment, as early as possible, to prevent joint damage,” stressed Barnabe, who is of Métis descent and has a daughter living with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. “There are things that people can do to improve their arthritis pain and function. Plus, there are new things out there that weren’t available 25 years ago.”
RA is an autoimmune disease, different from the wear-and-tear type of arthritis. The body’s immune system attacks the lining of the joints, causing inflammation with swelling, pain and stiffness that can last for hours or days. It must be treated, or the affected joints can be destroyed. Inflammation can also occur in the blood, eyes, lungs and skin, and the fatigue can be crippling.
Dr. David Robinson, a rheumatologist at the Health Sciences Centre at the University of Manitoba, has conducted research into the cause and effects of arthritis in Indigenous populations.
Robinson, who travels to treat arthritis patients in remote northern Manitoba communities every month, says the high prevalence of the disease is linked to a gene present in 60 percent of the population, although not everyone who has the gene will develop inflammatory arthritis. There are other genetic factors at play as well as lifestyle considerations that are well within an individual’s control, such as regular exercise and not smoking.
Barnabe believes that self-management is just as important as finding the right treatment plan.
“It’s important that people find out what type of arthritis they have so they can get the right treatment and get connected,” said Barnabe. “There are things people can do to self-manage their arthritis, and that’s where organizations like the Arthritis Society come in.”
Support, educational information, videos and programs through the Arthritis Society’s website at arthritis.ca can provide vital information to help better manage the disease.
Simple tools like the Arthritis Society’s online Symptom Checker can assist in gathering critical information in the early stages.
Arthritis Society Offers Tools for Pain Management
“The tool is built on decades of experience in arthritis and pain management, drawing on the expertise of physicians, therapists and patients alike,” said Helen Anderson, the Arthritis Society’s senior manager of education. “We bring the very latest research right into the hands of the individual in an easy-to-follow, intuitive resource. Understanding where pain comes from, and how the things we do each day make it better or worse – this gives people the power to take charge of their condition and make choices that can help reduce their pain levels and increase their ability to function, so they can get back to the life they deserve.”
The new “Managing Chronic Pain” online learning tool provides new options in self-managing pain, in addition to traditional methods.
“There’s often a stigma around acknowledging pain,” said Dr. Siân Bevan, the Arthritis Society’s chief science officer. “It’s either accepted as inevitable or considered a sign of weakness – so people try and bear it silently. But you don’t have to just accept it: you’re not supposed to feel this way, and there are things you can do to feel better. We are encouraging people to be open about their experience, and to reach out for help. That’s where this new resource can be very useful.”
Other resources offered by the Arthritis Society include a National Symposia Series at in-person sites across the country. The events will be streamed online with the post-event videos available on the Arthritis Society’s YouTube channel.
The first symposia and webcasts of 2019 will be held May 4, 2019, in Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Calgary. Registration will open March 1, 2019, for both the in-person and live-stream events at arthritis.ca.