Alisha aged 13 years was diagnosed with arthritis at the age of 3. She takes Etanercept injections to help her arthritis as previous medications including methotrexate tablets made her feel poorly and she didn’t like the methotrexate injections as it stung afterwards. She says that having arthritis makes her feel different because she is unable to do some things like dance that others can do.

She is taking part in a Cohort Study on people with arthritis although she doesn’t remember having any information. A cohort study is a study of people who have a certain condition or receive a particular treatment and are followed over time. They may be compared with another group who are not affected by the condition. When she attends the hospital to collect her medication she also completes a questionnaire that asks questions on opening bottles, turning a tap on and off, getting into bed, and how much pain she has experienced during the past week.