OAFI HOSTS THE III INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS FOR OA PATIENTS – OAFICONGRESS19

• 300 million people suffer from osteoarthritis all over the world, a figure that has doubled in the past 30 years and affects increasingly younger population. Obesity, ageing, and sports as running or football are among the main causes of this increase.

• In Spain, the osteoarthritis creates an annual expense of 5,831 billion euros. Management and health policies still do not give an adequate response to the needs of patients. 

• On the occasion of the International Day of Rheumatic Diseases, Barcelona will host an International Congress in which, among other topics, new treatments, the impact of the disease on sex life, sport and our emotional state will be discussed.
  

The 3rd International Meeting of Osteoarthritis Patients, organised by the OAFI, the Osteoarthritis International Foundation, will be held from 3rd to 5th of October in the Barcelona Auditori Axa (L’illa Diagonal) as part of the International Day for Rheumatic Diseases (12th October). The event will be free and open to the general public.

This annual international event, which focuses on osteoarthritis patients, is a meeting place for patients, medical experts, scientific societies, public administrations, research and development centres and other entities involved with osteoarthritis.

With the aim of informing, raising awareness and training on best practices for the prevention, research and treatment of this pathology that affects 300 million people worldwide. On this occasion, the Congress will explore, with the patient as the central protagonist, key issues and scientific innovations in osteoarthritis and related chronic diseases, with special emphasis on strategies based on scientific evidence.

Specific presentations with a holistic approach will address prevention and specific treatments for the different groups of patients affected by osteoarthritis: women, athletes and the elderly.

World-renowned experts, institutions, organisations and patient associations in the field of osteoarthritis will attend the Congress to ensure the same success as the previous edition.