OAFI Congress24 : More than 300 patients and healthcare professionals meet in Barcelona in defense of osteoarticular health

Barcelona, November 4th, 2024

The International Osteoarthritis Patient Foundation (OAFI) held on October 23, 24 and 25 the 8th edition of the International Congress of Osteoarthritis Patients, the OAFI Congress24, dedicated to joint health, with the aim of informing, raising awareness and training on best practices for the prevention, research and treatment of these pathologies, 7 out of 10 sufferers being women. Under the slogan “Much more than patients”, more than 300 patients, health professionals, research centers, health authorities and opinion leaders joined together making Barcelona the world capital of joint health.

Osteoarticular pathologies, a tsunami that we must stop

Osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease that affects the bone, cartilage and soft tissues of the joint, already affects more than 595 million people globally, with more than 7 million cases in our country. It evolves silently, producing pain and directly affecting the mobility and autonomy of the person who suffers from it. It is estimated that by 2050 it will affect 95.1% of the world’s population.

Osteoarthritis is a clear gender disease: 60% of women over the age of 50 already suffer from it. After the age of 80, the percentage rises to 80%. Given the increase in longevity and life expectancy of the population and the decline in the birth rate, these figures are multiplying at an accelerated rate, costing the State more than 5,500 million euros.

Furthermore, osteoarthritis does not come alone: 95% of patients suffer from comorbidity such as insomnia (40%), depression and anxiety (38%) or cardiovascular risk (31%). Osteopenia and osteoporosis also occur together with osteoarthritis, worsening the quality of life of patients, who have to cope with more than one pathology.

In this sense, osteoporosis, which affects more than 3 million people in our country, is a silent, chronic and progressive disease that causes bones to become more porous, with a 4 times higher risk of fracture due to low-impact trauma. It is estimated that 80% of women who suffer a fracture are undiagnosed and 64% at risk do not receive preventive treatment. Fragility fracture is also a cause of mortality: 20% of women over 65 who suffer a fracture die within the first year. For this reason, both diseases were very important in the OAFI Congress24.

“Much more than patients”, the eighth edition of the OAFI Congress24

Faced with this reality, the OAFI Foundation has returned with the OAFI Congress24 to shed light on this situation and offer a wide range of tools to patients, helping them to better understand and manage their disease. With the participation of more than 65 speakers, among them Prof. Santiago Niño Becerra, Venerable Thubten Wangchen, Dr. Sol Ruiz (AEMPS), Dr. Eduard Estivill, sleep medicine specialist, Mr. Steven Taylor, president of the Arthritis Foundation (USA), Dr. Ingrid Möller, director in Instituto Poal, Dr. Jose María Villalón, Head of Medical Services of Atlético de Madrid or Dr. Gil Rodas, from FC Barcelona, among others, the congress once again became the epicenter of joint health.

Prevention and early detection in women, the main focus of OAFI Congress24

The prevention and early detection of osteoarticular pathologies have been the protagonists of this eighth edition, promoting initiatives such as the Early Detection Campaign with the displacement of mobile units to prevent and detect these pathologies among the attendees, offering an instant diagnosis and shortening waiting times, which can be up to 3 years in the case of osteoarthritis.

Chronic pain was also one of the key issues, with the results of the Barometer of chronic pain associated with osteoporosis, promoted by the Grünenthal Foundation and presented by Dr. Dolors Navarro, patron of the Foundation, which determined that 60.8% of patients suffer “a lot of pain”. In addition, it brings with it associated comorbidities such as low back pain (68.3%), cervical pain (56.3%) and muscle contracture (54.5%), affecting daily activities such as getting up from a chair or bed (71.7%), sitting (56%), dressing and undressing (54.3%) and lying down (53.7%).

Dr. Daniel Martínez Laguna, a physician specializing in family and community medicine, pointed out that, in the case of osteoporosis and fragility fractures, these will amount to 420,000 fractures per year in 2030, representing an increase of 28.8% of cases, making clear the need to incorporate healthy lifestyle habits and a sufficient intake of calcium and vitamin D in order to prevent them.

In the case of patients who smoke, Dr. Luis Miguel Torres, president of SEMDOR, reported that smokers who are treated in pain units report more pain and greater functional deterioration compared to non-smokers, with smoking being a risk factor for suffering rheumatic diseases, both inflammatory and autoimmune, which we must avoid.

A growing range of pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapeutic options

On the other hand, the importance of a healthy diet to prevent osteoarthritis and to control weight was also emphasized: obesity is already responsible for 20.4% of cases of osteoarthritis. Dr. Ingrid Möller stressed the importance of taking care of the microbiota, as a balanced microbiota can help to regulate the inflammatory response in the body. However, an imbalance in the microbiota has been associated with an increase in inflammation, which can aggravate osteoarthritis symptoms and contribute to joint cartilage degradation.

There was also room for the presentation of new studies and treatments that offer new hope for osteoarthritis patients. Dr. Vergés presented a new study conducted by OAFI, through the BIFAP database, which is analyzing whether chondroitin sulfate and its combination with glucosamine (pharmaceutical grade) could delay the need for knee and hip prostheses, evaluating the factors associated with surgical joint replacement and the role of different drugs used in osteoarthritis.

Also presented were the latest technological developments to improve the quality of life of patients and how artificial intelligence or robotic solutions can facilitate the daily life and combat the loneliness of our elders at home. In this regard, OAFI signed a collaboration agreement with Group Saltó, leaders in technology at the service of people, with which to work together to bring the latest innovations in robotics to patients with osteoarthritis, improving both their quality of life and the quality of care at home.

Finally, there were workshops and masterclasses of adapted yoga, Tai Chi or physical activity, along with a musical performance by Pep Sala, and Dr. Estivill, which showed that the disease does not define us and we are much more than patients at OAFI Congress24.

Hashtags: #OAFICongress24 #CuidaTusArticulaciones #MuchoMásQuePacientes

About OAFI

Osteoarthritis Foundation International (OAFI) is the first and only non-profit foundation exclusively for people with osteoarthritis worldwide. Since 2016, it has been leading the fight against osteoarthritis by promoting education, prevention, treatment and research on everything related to joint health and offering solutions to people suffering from this disease.