Arthritis in aged may be treatable

Press, 19 September 1977, Page 26

Arthritis in aged may be treatable

Osteo-arthritis and old age may not necessarily go together.

A visiting rheumatologist, Dr P. A. Dieppe, of St Bartholemew’s Hospital, London, said in Nelson that there was recent evidence, to which his research group had contributed, that there are metabolic abnormalities and other factors which might prove to be treatable.

The disease, usually associated with old age, has been the subject of Dr Dieppe’s research at the hospital for the last three years.

In Nelson to speak to the New Zealand Rheumatism Association and attend the Royal Australasian College of Physicians’ annual meeting, Dr Dieppe said his team was taking another look at the disease.

“Some progress is being made,” he said. Osteoarthritis should not just be regarded as a disease of old age, and patients should be looked at individually. “The disease has been regarded as an age prob-

lem and people really did not take much notice of it. However, groups such as ours have been trying to think the problem out again. But it is early days yet.” he said.

Through his work at St Bartholemew’s, Dr Dieppe has been able to present data on about 100 patients but said he would like to be able to get information on 10 times that number. Osteo-arthritis affected between 5 and 10 per cent of the elderly population in Britain and he said this was one of the most common diseases in the country.

“There are very few major diseases with that sort of prevalence,” he said.

Dr Dieppe, who has lectured in Dunedin, Christchurch, and Wellington during his month-long New Zealand tour, will travel to Auckland for a lecture there before returning home to Britain. He said, he had found the tour valuable as a means of talking to and exchanging ideas with, others.