Week Ending 25th September

Brynmor · 25. Sep 2020, 11:05

It's getting late in the year but our resident hedgehogs are still out and about. The newest one in the family was out in broad daylight yesterday afternoon rooting around the flowerbeds.

We usually see/hear them in the early evening when the rustling in the undergrowth gives them away. That and the chuffing noises of the adults earlier in the year during the lighter evenings has kept us informed of the progress of this family that has taken up residence under our large hedge in the garden.

1. Tips for managing early onset arthritis

There is a request from new member @MrsScreech (great username!) asking for tips for living with early onset arthritis in the neck, plus numbness and tingling in hands and fingers. We are hoping you all can post your ideas and build up a good collection of suggestions when an early diagnosis occurs.

2. The Advance of AI

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Carnegie Mellon University College of Engineering have created a machine-learning algorithm that can detect subtle signs of osteoarthritis—too abstract to register in the eye of a trained radiologist—on an MRI scan taken years before symptoms even begin. With this predictive approach, patients could one day be treated with preventative drugs rather than undergoing joint replacement surgery.

https://www.axisimagingnews.com/market-trends/cloud-computing/machine-learning-ai/artificial-intelligence-osteoarthritis-years-develops

3. If we don't talk about arthritis, people would suffer behind closed doors.

Karen is 46 and was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 2002. She’s a mental health support worker for the NHS and a part-time actress.

“I have rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, asthma, and I’m also from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community,” she explains. “All of this puts me at higher risk, but my GP hasn’t been supportive of my decision. I didn’t get a shielding letter, and I'm not in the system as someone who is shielding.”

She’s one of many people with arthritis and related conditions who’s found the information and support provided to her during the COVID-19 pandemic to be confusing. And that’s why she’s working with us to tell her story and push for change.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/news/2020/september/if-we-dont-talk-about-arthritis-people-would-suffer-behind-closed-doors/

4. Coronavirus Updates

Our information has been updated to reflect the updated measures introduced to limit the number of people you can meet up with. Read the latest COVID-19 advice for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Current advice for people with arthritis recommends that you should wash your hands regularly, practice socially distance according to the 2-metre guidelines and stay at home as much as possible.

It's important to try to keep active, eat healthy and take care of your wellbeing. We’ve published these articles which include advice to help support you.

Read more and keep up to date with our Coronavirus (COVID-19) and arthritis page.

5. And finally...

I was cheered by this article yesterday in The Guardian which reported on trials of using sniffer dogs to detect coronavirus infections. "Researchers running Helsinki pilot scheme say dogs can identify virus in seconds"

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/24/close-to-100-accuracy-airport-enlists-sniffer-dogs-to-test-for-covid-19

Stay safe, stay well.

Brynmor

Week Ending 25th September

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