WHEN Christine Shields became so unwell she could not leave the sofa, and had to crawl upstairs on her hands and knees, she feared the worst.

The mother of two was in so much pain she thought she might have cancer or some other life-threatening illness.

In fact, despite being just 45 at the time, Mrs Shields had contracted arthritis.

She is one of thousands of people who go undiagnosed and without treatment every year because of a lack of awareness about the condition.

New research has shown lack of awareness of rheumatoid arthritis puts thousands at risk of long-term pain and disability.

Only 10 per cent of people were confident that they knew the symptoms of the disease, according to a survey conducted by Arthritis Research UK and the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS).

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, disabling condition in which the body’s immune system attacks the joints.

The main symptoms include stiff joints, which are most obvious in the early morning, persistent swelling, and pain when the affected joint is squeezed.

Mrs Shields, from Headington, Oxford, said: “I was getting aches in my joints and pain in my feet.

“It was so bad at times that I could only get upstairs on my hands and knees.

“The sensation on the bottoms of my feet made it feel like I was walking on hot coals. That’s how bad it was.”

When Mrs Shields first went to her GP she was told she had sciatica, a common form of low back pain and leg pain.

It was only when the pain persisted, and she asked for a second opinion, the 52-year- old was told she had rheumatoid arthritis.

Mrs Shields said: “To be honest it was a relief to find out I had arthritis, because you do tend to think the worst.

“Now I manage the condition with pain relief and injections which stop the progression of the illness.

“I’d just encourage anyone who has the symptoms to seek help as soon as possible.

“An early diagnoses can really help.”

Arthritis Research UK medical director Prof Alan Silman said: “There are too many people in the UK with the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis who are not seeking treatment.

“Research shows that the earlier you visit your doctor, the more successful your treatment is likely to be.

“The first 12 weeks of symptoms developing are critical – if rheumatoid arthritis is caught in this time and treated aggressively there is less joint damage and reduced chance of long-term disability.”