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Young Adults and Arthritis 'Introduction' transcript

Sharyn (developed juvenile Arthritis at 16 months) - I developed juvenile arthritis rheumatoid arthritis when I was 16 months old. Initially, it affected my knees and then it moved to the wrists and elbows.

Andrew (diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis when at 14 years) - I was diagnosed when I was about 14. It's called psoriatic arthritis, it affects my fingers and toes, and at the moment it's affecting my hips, but it may not be the psoriatic arthritis.

Judi (developed rheumatoid arthritis at 27 years) - I've got rheumatoid arthritis. I was diagnosed when I was 27, which was a real shock. After all, I thought, well, here I am in the prime years of my life.

Kim (developed lupus at 23 years) - The type of arthritis I've got is called lupus, and I've actually got systemic lupus. Which can affect your body, like it can affect your organs, it can make your knees swell up - it affects your joints and your muscles. You just become really sore.

Peter (diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis at 30 years) - The form of arthritis that I have is ankylosing spondylitis, which is a form of arthritis that predominantly affects the spine, and also gets other parts of your body. It's an auto-immune disease, so it affects your health and wellbeing at times.

Heidi (diagnosed with fibromyalgia (FMS) at 22 years) - I suffer from fibromyalgia syndrome. It affects my every day - everything in my life basically. I wake up feeling pretty horrible, and of a night-time I feel pretty horrible as well, so I've got a certain amount of time during the day when I can achieve things.

Sue (developed rheumatoid arthritis at 12 years) - I have a juvenile onset form of arthritis and I was diagnosed when I was around 12. I'm now 36 and it affects me in lots of ways. Pain, is a big one, but also just limitation of movement and fatigue, I'm tired pretty much constantly.  

 
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