UAE resident, arthritis 'warrior' raises awareness for disease

Abu Dhabi - Diagnosed at just 14, she now has her own swimming academy at the Habtoor Hotels Group.

A young Polish national who was a keen sports enthusiast was left immobile after the onset of arthritis when she was just 14. Now in her 20s, UAE resident Karolina Soroko has learned to manage the disease by making lifestyle changes and is also a swimming coach who runs her own swimming academy.

The arthritis warrior also creates awareness about the disease and helps patients live a better life. Karolina was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis at the age of 14 after contracting tonsillitis.

"As a kid I developed acute tonsillitis which was clearing in short breaks and lasted super long, due to which my immune system collapsed and attacked my joints leading to what is called Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis or Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA)," she told Khaleej Times.

Explaining Karolina's condition, Dr Humeira Badsha, consultant rheumatologist and board member at Middle East Arthritis Foundation, said: "Arthritis affects millions of people worldwide and one in five people in the UAE. Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis is the most common kind of arthritis seen in kids and teenagers and usually affects 1 in 1000 children."

"In JIA, a child's immune system malfunctions for some reason, attacking the body, especially the joints. It has difficulty telling the difference between the body's own tissues and external germs or organisms. This confusion makes the immune system attack the body's healthy tissues. That's what we call an auto-immune disease and that's what causes the inflammation characteristic of JIA."

Karolina was a keen sports enthusiast and was physically active in many sports as a teenager, including horse riding, gymnastics, and basketball among others. The onset of this disease affected her joints severely, and she no longer had the flexibility or strength to participate in any sports activities for a little over three years.

After a year of numerous tests, scans, and hospitalisation, she was finally diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. It continued to affect her body, which resulted in her developing bilateral osteoporosis in her hips.

At the age of 26, Karolina began experiencing back pain and joint swelling, which eventually led to immobility. However, her determination led her to research her condition. She also decided to rehabilitate people to reintegrate into society and to live their lives to the fullest.