Rheumatism patients must commit to treatment

Kuwait health minister Dr. Mohammad Al-Haifi urged rheumatism patients to be committed to treatment or the situation would worsen amidst lack of root-cause treatment. There is no treatment to rheumatism but medications that improve condition of the patient, who should not neglect the medicine to prevent inability to move, Al-Haifi told reporters on sidelines of an event organized by Kuwait Rheumatism Association on the occasion of the International Rheumatism Day. The public are well aware of importance of medications and were highlighting this through social media, said the minister, but the problem was in the lack of follow up and commitment in taking medicine. President of Kuwait Rheumatism Association Dr. Adel Al-Awadhi said rheumatism was affecting the young and adult and all ages, especially when the person was at the top of his physical activity. Lack of awareness, he warned, increased economic burden on the government. Up to 27 percent of population in Kuwait suffer from rheumatism, 35 percent of them are women and 20 percent men, said Al-Awadhi. Studies show that 39 percent of rheumatism patients in Kuwait were physical disabled, said Al-Awadhi. He noted that rheumatoid was the most costly amongst the chronic diseases. He said latest medications contributed to minimizing number of rheumatism patients, therefore it was essential to have a diagnosis to have a proper treatment for joints' pains. Chairman of Board of Patients Helping Fund Society Dr. Mohammad Al-Sharhan, for his part, said the Society spent 120,000 Kuwaiti Dinars (KD) in 2012 to honor needs of 45 rheumatism patients with projections the number to reach KD 500,000 in 2013. Al-Sharhan said the Society, which was established in 1979, always sought to meet needs of the patients and needy, as well as educating those in need. He said the Society's Medical Committee was offering financial assistance, medications and medical equipment, as well as paying fees of tests and examinations for non-Kuwaitis.