Study to look at arthritis in children

New research is being launched at Great Ormond Street Hospital to solve the riddle of childhood arthritis.

The debilitating condition, which normally affects the elderly, hits one child in every thousand. In children it is called Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) and can lead to severe pain and restriction of movement.

Now a four-year research project will attempt to establish why some children get over the condition while others continue to suffer.

The team, led by Dr Lucy Wedderburn, is funded by the children's charity Sparks, with a ?400,000 grant from the Big Lottery Fund.

Dr Wedderburn, senior lecturer in rheumatology, said: "Around one child in a thousand is affected by severe arthritis, leading to a restriction of normal childhood."

The team will try to predict which children will respond well to therapy and which would benefit from the most aggressive forms of treatment to reduce the risk of permanent disability.