SUCCESS OF # OAFICONGRESS18 – II International Congress of Patients with Osteoarthritis

Barcelona, world capital of patients with osteoarthritis.

With the aim of raising awareness of the disease and giving visibility to people suffering from osteoarthritis, the International Osteoarthritis Foundation (OAFI) organised the 2nd International Congress of Osteoarthritis Patients. As part of the Foundation’s social commitment, the event was FREE of charge and took place on 9 and 10 October at the Auditori Axa (L’Illa Diagonal) in Barcelona. The Congress was attended by:

• The attendance of more than 700 participants between attendees and speakers.
• 22,000 health professionals (doctors specialising in family and community medicine, rheumatology specialists, traumatologists, quality care, nursing and pharmacists) were present through the medical and scientific societies SEMERGEN, SEMG, SETRADE, SECA, SER, SEFAC, the Nursing School of the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona and the Faculty of Pharmacology of the University of Barcelona.
• 140 million patients were represented by the the presence of the Arthritis Foundation, PANLAR, and the OAFI Foundation.
• The presence of the Medical Services of FCBarcelona, Atlético de Bilbao, RCD Espanyol, and Atlético de Madrid and the representatives of the Veterans of the respective clubs.

The Osteoarthritis Foundation International (OAFI) presented a new model in the management of osteoarthritis to health authorities. OAFI proposes to the health authorities the development and implementation of a model for the management of osteoarthritis that allows early diagnosis, preventive and rehabilitative intervention, the empowerment of patients and family, continuity of care when needed, the efficient use of resources and the effective results along the care process. In this sense, it is essential to speed up the diagnosis of disease, reduce waiting times, inform the patient, apply hygienic-dietetic measures and ensure rehabilitation and psychological support. OAFI is supported by several partners in the creation of this new model: SECA (Spanish Society for Quality Care), SETRADE (Spanish Society of Sports Traumatology), SEMERGEN (Spanish Society of Primary Care Doctors), SER (Spanish Society of Rheumatology), AGP (General Alliance of Patients), SEFAC (Spanish Society of Family and Community Pharmacy), SEMG (Spanish Society of General and Family Doctors) AECOSAR (Spanish Association with the Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis),

Program highlights:

• Santiago Niño-Becerra gave a master class entitled “Responsibility: the new demand for social protection”. The Venerable Thubten Wangchen, Founder of the House of Tibet in Barcelona explained: “How to be happy in everyday life”. Tomás Molina, answered questions on weather conditions and joint pain “Why do our bones (joints) hurt when it is going to rain?” Xesco Espar provided relevant aspects from the point of view of a professional trainer.
• Important scientific innovations in the treatment and prevention of osteoarthritis were presented:
  • Arthrotest, the first saliva test for the prevention of knee prostheses.
  • Lynx, DyCare’s Medical Device for objective measurement of joint function.
  • Guidance on the appropriate use of SYSADOAs drugs by Delphi method.

The most highlight topics during the Congress were pain, sex, sport and prevention. Also, the osteoarthritis in women was at the center of the discussion, due to its high prevalence.

Thank you to all the attendees, speakers, volunteers, companies and collaborators for making this incredible event possible!

The support of the media was key for the success of #OAFICONGRESS18; many thanks to everyone for making visible the situation of patients with osteoarthritis: Press Clipping

The osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease which affects cartilage, bone and soft tissues of the joint. Globally, it is estimated that 300 million people suffer from it and in Spain, the figure stands at 7 million patients. Studies state that the pathology will become the fourth cause of disability by 2020 due to the ageing of the population.

The number of people affected has increased in the last 30 years. According to the President of OAFI, Dr. Josep Vergés, “the impact of arthritis is growing at an alarming rate, the number of patients has doubled in the past 30 years. We are facing a tsunami since risk factors are more and more present and include the ageing of the population, obesity and inappropriate sports practice. Also, fashion sports such as running or football, which are healthy, must be accompanied by a prior preparation to avoid cartilage injuries. There are also concerns about the impact of the disease on patients who are not aware of their pathological condition because they have no pain; asymptomatic patients could, indeed, reach 30% of the total population.