 While many of us think of arthritis as something that only affects older people, an estimated 7.1% of people between the ages of 18 and 44 have had some form of the condition. Ahead of appearing on Strictly Come Dancing, actor Adam Thomas recently revealed he had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) aged 34, saying he too had previously believed it was something people only get 'later on in their life.' Anita Dowdle, 30, was just 21 when she was told she had the chronic autoimmune disease, and she has been dealing with its debilitating symptoms for the majority of her adult life. While working in retail over the Christmas period after she graduated university, Anita started experiencing 'a lot of pain' while going about her job. 'Both of my knees were really swollen, and it was painful to bend them even a little,' she told Metro.co.uk. 'Even walking was very difficult.' Things worsened the more she worked, and the digital marketing manager from Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire, would wake up in tears every morning. 'My mum had to help get me get dressed to go to work and I was hobbling the whole way,' Anita recalled. 'I had to use supports on my knees just to try to alleviate the pain.' Initially, she believed she may have injured herself at the gym, but when Anita was still crying out due to severe joint pain months later, her mum insisted she visit her GP. Knowing something was seriously wrong, and after 'begging' doctors for help, blood tests and physical examinations revealed RA. The 30-year-old began experiencing symptoms shortly after graduating university (Picture: Anita Dowdle) Anita said: 'It was a real shock, because I was so young. It was an emotional time for me; a very, very low time. 'I actually had to be put on antidepressants for a while, just so I could deal withall the negative thoughts. It massively impacted me because my whole life had changed, basical){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
While many of us think of arthritis as something that only affects older people, an estimated 7.1% of people between the ages of 18 and 44 have had some form of the condition.
Ahead of appearing on Strictly Come Dancing, actor Adam Thomas recently revealed he had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) aged 34, saying he too had previously believed it was something people only get ‘later on in their life.’
Anita Dowdle, 30, was just 21 when she was told she had the chronic autoimmune disease, and she has been dealing with its debilitating symptoms for the majority of her adult life.
While working in retail over the Christmas period after she graduated university, Anita started experiencing ‘a lot of pain’ while going about her job.