rheumatoid arthritis, due to its chronic natureinvolves significant costs, both direct, related to medical care and the use of medications, and indirect, because they affect labor productivity and significantly reduce the quality of life, according to the Spanish Society of Rheumatology (SER).
Thus, more than 400 specialists gathered at XIII SER Symposium on Rheumatoid Arthritiswhich was developed in Gijón, have updated and publicized the latest developments of this disease which already affects approximately 300,000 people in Spainaccording to data from the SER EPISER study.
During the presentation of this event, the president of the SER, the Dr. Marcos Paulino, highlighted “the need to improve early diagnosis, as it has been shown that the earlier treatment is started, the more likely it is that the disease will be controlled and the affected person will be able to maintain their quality of life.”
According to data from the EPISER study of the Spanish Society of Rheumatology (SER), it is a rheumatic disease that causes inflammation of the joints and has a great impact on those diagnosed who, for the most part, are young and of active working age.
In addition, due to its chronicitythis pathology causes significant direct costs linked to health care and the use of medications; as well as other indirect ones which can influence, among other things, work stoppages or a lower quality of life, which is why it is essential focus on training specialists so that they can offer the best possible approach and work with primary care to ensure early referral and obtain a diagnosis as quickly as possible.
On the other hand, Dr. Marcos Paulino insisted precisely on the need to improve early diagnosis since it has been shown that ““The sooner treatment is started, the more likely it is that the disease will be controlled and the affected person will be able to maintain their quality of life.” If you arrive late and without adequate controlthe inflammation caused by rheumatoid arthritis destroys joints, produces enormous functional limitations, deteriorates quality of life and even it has been shown to reduce life expectancy people who suffer from it.
In this sense, “from the SER we are carrying out different awareness campaigns on rheumatic diseases, such as the “Everyone is everyone” campaign, to improve the knowledge of the population, facilitate early care and emphasize that they do not only affect the elderly, they can also make their debut in childhood”, explained the president of the SER, also head of the rheumatology department at the General University Hospital of Ciudad Real.
Advances and future
For his part, the Dr Jesus Babiohead of the Local Organizing Committee of the XIIIth Symposium on Rheumatoid Arthritis of the SER and head of the Rheumatology Department of the Cabueñes University Hospitalhighlighted “the change in the panorama of the disease in recent years, a consequence of numerous scientific advances that include both prevention and early diagnosis and the development of new drugs, with an increasingly individualized profile, avoiding the functional incapacity of those affected. It is difficult to highlight just one of the advances, but he emphasized that “the development and implementation of treatments by biological drugsas an additional therapeutic tool to conventional treatments, has brought enormous benefits to patients.
According to him, “research is progressing significantly on the molecular and cellular bases of the inflammatory process. “The development of molecular biology techniques and recombinant DNA technology can provide important new data to improve disease treatments.” Likewise, – he added – “the future in this field of rheumatology is oriented towards personalized medicine where each patient is treated specifically according to their individual profile, based on biomarkers that predict the impact of the disease and the response to certain treatments.
Greater visibility of arthritis
“At SER we want to leave a positive impact in all our actions and therefore, the XIII Rheumatoid Arthritis Symposium “There will be action to contribute to reversing as little as possible the negative impact on the environment of the transfer of all the people who attend these days at the Gijón Symposium,” said the president of the SER, online with the Agenda 2030 proposed by the United Nations and taking into account a global approach to health that takes the environment into account.
In this sense, and as part of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) actions, we have launched an environmental action – with the collaboration of the Gijón Town Hall– in which several trees such as birch and maple will be planted on city land.
On the other hand, as a novelty, a new visibility action was promoted this week, in collaboration with SARE and the ConArtritis associationin the Los Fresnos shopping center, in which an interactive activity was organized in the form of gymkhana which will consist of a challenge in which the participants, mainly children, They must pass a ball through a hoop, but with added difficulty, such as using gloves or ankle weights, to simulate the physical complications of rheumatoid arthritis.
“The aim of this initiative is to raise awareness of rheumatoid arthritis among the general population, by showing in a fun and experiential way the daily difficulties faced by people who suffer from it, such as muscle fatigue and joint stiffness. We also seek to highlight the importance of practicing physical exercise in the management of the disease, linked to our #ReumaFit project, since it has proven to be a great ally and helps reduce symptoms, while reducing pain and fatigue. other advantages”, explained the president of the SER.
Rheumatoid arthritis
began October, rheumatic diseases month and on the 12th of this month International Rheumatoid Arthritis Daya very widespread disease, since each year it is estimated that around 20,000 new cases diagnoseda very important fact if we take into account the handicap it can cause. More specifically, rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by the fact that it causes persistent pain in the small joints of the hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles and feet; However, the chronic inflammatory process typical of the disease can also affect other organs, such as the eyes, lungs or blood vessels. Its cause is the interrelation between genetic conditions dependent on several genes and certain environmental agents, tobacco being at the forefront of these.
In this XIII SER Symposium on Rheumatoid Arthritis Other comorbidities of the disease were also discussed, namely “the additional risk that this disease presents for developing cardiovascular diseases, obesity or osteoporosis and the possibility of combining conventional and biological treatments in patients with difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis. “, among other aspects,” he noted Dr Babio.
And the aim of this meeting was to improve the tools and strategies of rheumatologists so that they can be applied in daily consultations and improve the quality of life of people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. Finally, he gave himself the prize of the Spanish Foundation of Rheumatology (FER) to the journalist of Diario Médico, Rocío Rodríguez.
