He got it as a little boy, Christer Handberg from Hokksund in Viken.
Osteoarthritis, also known as osteoarthritis, is more prevalent among the well-adults in the population. But for Christer, life with pain is completely natural.
– Well, how do I explain how the pain feels, there is a burning pain in the joints, or maybe one can say cutting? Christer tries to explain something that has become a part of his life.
– At least never a day goes by without it. I wake up in pain and go to bed with pain.
He says that the knees, soles of the feet and hips are affected by osteoarthritis. One hip has been replaced. And he has been told to call the health service when he thinks it’s time to replace the next link.
– JOINT BY JOINT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED: Christer became a father at Christmas time last year. He is unable to lift his ten-month-old daughter off the floor. One of the hips has been replaced – when the time is right he calls to ask for the next prosthesis. Photo: Private
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Prosthetic body
The young man would rather wait as long as possible to get more prostheses. Because prostheses also need to be replaced, therefore he waits and endures the pain and suffering even a little longer.
The medicine that can cure osteoarthritis is a long way off. But possibly closer now, thanks to international research in which Norwegian researchers also participate.
The world’s largest research project on osteoarthritis is currently underway, with 155 researchers from many countries. Among them is researcher on genetic epidemiology, Anne Heidi Skogholt.
atrose
– We have found genes that may be relevant for treatment purposes, and we have done and are doing genetic analyzes that bring us closer to a solution, the NTNU researcher explains.
Genetic research is basic research, and therefore the road to a final drug can be quite long. However, clinical trials are currently under development. It is promising, the researcher believes.
Existing medicines can re-developed, and targeted at this disease specifically. Gene findings we have made indicate that one is on the right track, that it is approaching the stage where this research can contribute to improving treatment.
Skogholt is very happy to be part of the international team that has collected DNA samples from 800,000 people all over the world.
– It is very exciting that NTNU has this competence and it is very rewarding to be involved, she says.
The final cure does not yet exist
Christer Handberg walks around with his specially sewn shoes that will protect his feet. Because there is no medicine for osteoarthritis, he has to resort to anti-inflammatory and painkillers.
– PAIN: Christer Handberg lies down with pain and wakes up with pain. Photo: Private
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Fortunately, the 25-year-old has a good office job, with a PC and desk, because standing and walking too much will be impossible. At the company Sigdal Kjøkken in Nedre Eggedal, he enjoys logistics planning.
– I am quite hard hit, a mountain hike is not something for me, so to speak. Even short walks can give me aches the whole next day.
When he hears that genetic research at NTNU gives reason to be optimistic about the development of the medicine that can treat his disease, he says he is satisfied.
– A day without pain … I had not refused such a medicine! I choose to be a little optimistic when it comes to that research there.
The Norwegian Rheumatism Association is also grateful for research that brings members good news. The disease is one of the main causes of both disability and sick leave, and 40 per cent of all sickness absence certified by a doctor is due to musculoskeletal disorders. (Source: Menon, 2019)
– This study is fantastically exciting, says head of department Anna Fryxelius in the Rheumatism Association. We have been hoping for this for a long time. Many people with osteoarthritis lose many functions, they can no longer walk or walk long at a time.
The only things that can help those affected today are palliative medicine, surgery and exercise.
– FOUND IMPORTANT GENES: In the research work of finding the genes that have to do with the development of osteoarthritis, NTNU researcher Anne Heidi Skogholt has been one of the main pieces. Photo: Stein Roar Leite / TV 2
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Dream of learning to ride a bike
In Trondheim, researcher Anne Heidi Skogholt smiles at the thought of the worldwide research she contributes to.
– It feels very good to be able to understand more about a disease that hits so hard and so many, and that we have reached the point that can lead to treatment, says Skogholt.
A few hundred kilometers further south in the country sits a father of small children with a hope of being able to learn to ride a bicycle.
– CYCLING NEXT? He has a hope, Christer, to learn cycling now that his daughter has been born. Photo: Private
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– I have never been able to learn cycling, but now it would have been nice to learn it, says Christer Handberg.
He became a father for the first time this Christmas. Fortunately for him, he receives benefits for a car, which makes the practicalities of life easier. An osteoarthritis medicine would make life even easier.
– My daughter is ten months old, and already now it is difficult for me to lift her off the floor.
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