ARTHRITIS accounts for a third of all physical disabilities in the UK.

It affects people in varying degrees but, at worst, it leaves sufferers in constant pain and unable to move without support.

There are some 200 different types with the most common being Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

This week, as part of Arthritis Education Week, I decided to find out for myself about the condition which affects some eight million men, women and children.

Edith Davies is a sprightly 75-year-old. She lives in a bungalow in Fulwood where she enjoys watching television, getting out and socialising when she can.

But these days she has had to curb a lot of her activities because of the pain and fatigue caused by Rheumatoid Arthritis. Her joints swell up, they ache and she often feels exhausted though she's done nothing.

"I can't do much really," she explained: "I used to do all sorts of things like riding my bike, playing the organ, decorating.

"Now I can only manage 10 minutes at a time playing the keyboard, otherwise it becomes painful and I get too tired."

Some 15,000 children suffer from arthritis, some of them permanently, though people rarely learn about it until it happens to them.

Edith said she was acutely aware of it when she was younger but just shrugged it off and got on with her work.

These days, she can barely walk any distance and has to use her three-wheeled buggy to get around outside. It affects her hands, knees and shoulders and during winter it's particularly painful.

Once a month she attends the Royal Preston Hospital where she receives a range of treatments, painkillers and when necessary, has fluid taken from her joints. She also enjoys relief once a week when she attends a local support group at Moor Lane Resource Centre.

The Preston branch of Arthritis Care is a chance for sufferers to get together, share their woes and exchange ideas on the latest painkillers and alternative remedies.

"They don't always work - but it helps talking about it," Edith explained.

Anyone who wants to find out more about Preston branch of Arthritis Care can contact the group's secretary Mrs O'Reilly on 725112. And if you want to find out more about arthritis, call Healthwise on 0800 665544 for a free information pack.

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