Riding the peaks and valleys of rheumatoid arthritis

Posted on December 22, 2006

(NC)-For most people, the very term arthritis conjures up images of the elderly and the slow degeneration of joints that comes with age. But for the nearly 300,000 Canadians who suffer rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the term is anything but a natural part of growing old.

RA hits people in the prime of their lives, between the ages of 25 and 50. RA is a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks the lining of joints and organs.

Its onset is deceiving. Morning stiffness, a fever and joint pain may seem just like a bad case of the flu. But early diagnosis and treatment are essential to preventing the irreversible joint damage that may occur within the first few months.

Just ask Brian Twohig of Victoria, BC. The high school teacher was a competitive athlete and rowing coach for Victoria City Rowing Club and for the University of Victoria. In his 40s, when RA first presented, he experienced morning stiffness in his hands and a few episodes of joint pain. It took some time before he was even diagnosed. Eventually, his episodes became so severe he could barely turn a door knob or put on his socks.

"The image most people have of arthritis is little old ladies," he said. "I found it was hard for people to understand the challenges of RA. I could have trouble holding chalk one day but be out cycling the next."

Twohig persevered with his love for sport. His own persistence — he took up competitive cycling after his diagnosis — and new treatments, have restored him to an active life.

"Drugs managed the pain," he recalls, "but the episodes were getting more severe."

Twohig was fortunate to be prescribed an alternative to these drugs, a new class of treatments called biologics. His rheumatologist put him on HUMIRA, the first fully human monoclonal antibody, which is similar to antibodies found in the human body. It is able to bind to and block a specific protein that plays a central role in the inflammation associated with RA.

Twohig has been on HUMIRA for three years. He has not had an RA episode since.

The new regimen has allowed him to pursue his passion of cycling. In September 2005, he cycled over 1,000 km of the Tour de France route through Spain's Pyrenees Mountains, including 20 kilometres of vertical climb.

"It feels really good to be able to do that," he says. "I have always lived an active life and I can't imagine not being able to continue."

In 2007, he plans to ride the Dolomite route of the Giro d'Italia.

Credit: www.newscanada.com

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