An international meet with experts from 47 countries was recently held in the city on arthritis

For the first time, an international meet with experts from 47 countries concluded in Pune on arthritis. A disorder that is so common but yet the burden of the disease has to be measured. Professor Lars Lidgren, chairman, International Bone and Joint Decade opened the meet in Pune and explained that the focus of the meet was on the burden of musculo-skeletal disorders and rheumatism in developing countries.

According to Lidgren, generally up to 25 percent of people suffer from joint diseases, osteoporosis and spinal disorder. Lidgren along with several experts spent a day at Bhigwan village, 100 kms from Pune where the first ever population study was taken up to study the burden of rheumatoid arthritis. The study was undertaken as part of the Centre for Rheumatic Disease (CRD)’s community oriented programme initiated by Dr Arvind Chopra.

While Lidgren felt that there should be patient empowerment programmes, concern was also expressed about the need to promote pediatric Rheumatology. “An entire session was devoted to children suffering from arthritis. Data from various sites across the world was presented. In Pune we have a child as young as eight – nine months suffering from arthritis,” said Chopra who was selected as the Bone and Joint Decade (BJD) Ambassador at the meeting.

Just what are these aches and pains all about-

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic, debilitating inflammatory disease that causes pain, swelling, stiffness, and loss of function in the joints. The onset usually begins in middle age, but it also affects children and young adults. The ratio of women to men affected by Rheumatoid Arthritis is 3:1. In India, Rheumatoid Arthritis affects close to 1 percent of the population, which would mean around 10 million people.

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