Kildare schoolgirl waiting nearly 2 years for diagnosis of arthritis

A Co Kildare schoolgirl is one of 565 children waiting to see a consultant paediatric rheumatologist for the treatment of childhood arthritis, Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA).

The latest figures, released to coincide with National Arthritis Week, show that the waiting list crisis has intensified, with the number of children waiting in pain for over a year and a half increasing four-fold.

More than 1,200 children are living with arthritis in Ireland today, making it as common as childhood diabetes.

Darcy White, from Kildare, waited for almost two years to be seen.

She said: “Having waited for nearly two years to be diagnosed, I know how important it is to have quick access to a rheumatologist to get the treatment you need.

"Nobody knows this more than me, had I been seen earlier my condition would not be this aggressive.

"The pain is excruciating, it often brings me to tears. Arthritis is an aggressive autoimmune disease that isn’t going anywhere.

"Arthritis came out of nowhere and changed my life completely; it stopped me from doing the things I love, and I hate it for that.

"I wish with all my heart that the services for children with arthritis would improve, children should not be left waiting in pain. Don’t they realise they are robbing our childhood and causing irreparable damage physically and emotionally? Don’t they care?”

John Church, CEO of Arthritis Ireland, said: “Ireland has only two paediatric rheumatology consultants, we are ranked as having one of the lowest number of paediatric rheumatologists in Europe. If left untreated, it can quickly lead to permanent joint damage, muscle wastage and deformity, not to mention the trauma a child and its family experiences. Children deserve better.”

As part of National Arthritis Week, Arthritis Ireland are calling for the urgent appointment of a third consultant paediatric rheumatologist to be appointed at OLCHC to help ease the huge burden on the already overstretched services.

Children on waiting lists are not just waiting in pain; they are also at risk of permanent, irreversible joint damage that impacts on their ability to live a normal a life as possible.

To support Arthritis Ireland sign their petition or donate by logging onto ArthritisIreland.ie.