IT CAN strike at any age.

That is the message from health bosses as the first Rheumatoid Arthritis Awareness Week launches today.

GPs across Hampshire are urging people to be aware of the condition, wrongly associated with old age.

It causes pain and swelling in the joints, and flare-ups can be impossible to predict making it very hard to live with.

Dr Steve Townsend, chair of NHS Southampton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: “It’s an autoimmune disease – the body’s immune system attacks the tissue surrounding a joint.”

Dr Sarah Schofield, chair of NHS West Hampshire CCG, added: “While there is no known cure, early diagnosis and treatment can control symptoms and help prevent disability.”