Educational Talk – JIA & RA
16th March 2014
JSLE & SLE Talk was taken part in Hall, 1/F, Duke of Windsor Social Service Building on 16th March 2014. The talk aimed to enhance people’s understanding of the diagnosis and treatment of JIA and RA. There were 61 participants in total.
The talk was started by Dr. LEE Tsz Leung a specialist in Paediatrics, to introduce the common types of paediatric rheumatism and explained the characteristics and diagnosis of Juvenile idiopathic Arthritis (JIA). Children, who were younger than 16-year-old and suffered from inflammation for more than 6 weeks in more than 1 joint, might be diagnosed as JIA. Joint might get distorted or lose its function if the disease was untreated. Dr. LEE urged patients should set up an all-rounded treatment strategy including physiotherapy, occupational therapy and psycho-education to improve the condition. Moreover, patients could join the self-help group like Hong Kong Paediatric Rheumatism Association to share experiences and achieve mutual support. Once again, Dr. LEE emphasized the importance of seeking advices from medical personnel. Health condition could be obviously improved and mobility could be restored if appropriate treatment strategy was made as soon as possible.
Apart from this, the talk was continued by Dr. MA Kai Yiu, a specialist in Rheumatology, introduced the symptoms and diagnosis of Rheumatoid arthritis (RA). He further illustrated the pathology of RA to explain the reason of inflammation in joints. The objectives of treatment were controlling the illness condition, minimizing the damage of joints and preventing disability. Assessment on disease activity was used to monitor the condition and treatment strategy could be adjusted accordingly. Moreover, Dr. MA analyzed the function and side-effect of different medications. He also urged the participants to discuss with their medical personnel if they had any doubt on their health condition. It is quite difficult to restore the mobility of joints once damaged.
Most participants were interested in the use of medication especially biologics. Dr. LEE and Dr. MA answered their enquiries patiently. They were satisfied with the arrangement and content of the talk and hoped to join these activities in the future.
