Alliance Against Arthritis: new action group in Europe

[Guest guest]

Rheumawire

Apr 7, 2004

Alliance Against Arthritis: new action group in Europe

Vienna, Austria - A new action group, Alliance Against Arthritis, has

been set up in Europe to campaign for increased funding of rheumatology

research and improvements in disability legislation and to raise

awareness of rheumatic diseases and current therapeutic possibilities.

Initiated by the European League Against Rheumatic Diseases (EULAR), the

action was launched at a press conference and patient meeting in

Brussels last month and has since been publicized at more than 20 press

events throughout Europe.

" This is a pan-European action that will liaise with the US Arthritis

Foundation on an annual basis, " says current EULAR president Dr ph

Smolen (University of Vienna, Austria), who is heading the action group.

Comprising the presidents of all the national social and scientific

leagues that fall under the EULAR umbrella, the group aims to lobby

politicians, in particular the European parliament, to attach more

importance to rheumatic diseases.

" There is a pressing need for such an action group, as rheumatic

diseases are neglected in Europe, " Smolen tells rheumawire. " It is the

group of diseases that has the greatest impact on health and on costs,

and it is the most common group of diseases, and yet it has not been

assigned special research funding from the EU, while other diseases,

such as cancer and diabetes, have. "

" Musculoskeletal conditions are not regarded as 'major diseases' by our

European authorities, " Smolen comments in an editorial in the April 2004

issue of the ls of the Rheumatic Diseases [1]. EU research funding

programs offer special actions for combating cardiovascular and

neurological diseases and diabetes and cancer, but rheumatologists have

to search for niches for their research funding applications and compete

against other fields of medicine and basic research, including

specialized areas such as genomics.

And yet, musculoskeletal diseases strike more frequently and are more

severe and more costly than conditions of any other system, Smolen

points out. He cites statistics from Austria that show that, in 2001,

musculoskeletal conditions accounted for 8.1 million days of sick leave,

beating even the category of respiratory diseases, which include flulike

syndromes, while cardiovascular conditions accounted for less than a

quarter of this, 1.7 million days of sick leave. He also quotes a recent

report from the World Health Organization [2], which concludes:

" Although the diseases that kill attract much of the public's attention,

musculoskeletal or rheumatic diseases are the major cause of morbidity

throughout the world. "

Despite this, people with arthritis have to fight harder for access to

the best care, even if it improves quality of life and prevents sick

leave and disability, Smolen comments.

The low importance currently attached to musculoskeletal problems is

hard to understand and is unacceptable for the millions of people

afflicted as well as the doctors caring for them, he says.

" Rheumatologists have not been very active at lobbying in the past, and

they need to lobby more both on behalf of their patients and for

increased research fundingwe need better access to care, we need better

disability legislation, and we need more research, " Smolen says. " If we

don't struggle for our patients and our field, who will? "

The Alliance Against Arthritis needs to change such attitudes as widely

as possible, Smolen comments. The group will be working closely with the

US Arthritis Foundation, which already campaigns vocally on behalf of

arthritis patients, organizing advocacy summits to campaign for changes

in legislation, research funding, etc.

The initial round of press conferences to announce the alliance has gone

very well, Smolen tells rheumawire, and achieved good media coverage,

both in national newspapers and on television in many European

countries. The next step will be to prepare an agenda of research

suggestions and to campaign for increased EU funding of research in this

field, as well as lobby for better access to currently available

treatments, he says.

Zosia Chustecka

Sources

1. Smolen JS. Combating the burden of musculoskeletal conditions. Ann

Rheum Dis 2004 Apr; 63(4):329.

2. WHO scientific group on the burden of musculoskletal conditions at

the start of the new millennium. The burden of musculoskeletal

conditions at the start of the new millennium: report of a WHO

scientific group. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2003.

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org