World Congress on Arthrosis to take place in Belgium from September 23 to 26, 2010

Sep 14 2010

Over a 1000 experts from the world will participate in the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) congress, under the Presidency of the Belgian Professor Yves Henrotin (University of Liège).

The world congress on arthrosis (osteoarthritis) organised by the Osteoarthritis Research Society (OARSI) will take place from September 23 to 26, 2010, in Brussels, at the Square-Brussels Meeting Centre. It is a unique event in Belgium, a genuine forum which will enable researchers and health care providers to meet and share their experiences.

This edition is presided over by the Belgian professor, Yves Henrotin, from the University of Liège.

For four days, over a 1000 experts from the four corners of the planet (USA, Asia, Oceania and Europe) will present the most recent discoveries on pathophysiology, diagnosis, pharmacological treatments and the reeducation of osteoarthritis.

15% of the world's population suffers from this disease, whose incidence increases with old age. In Belgium this disease affects 1 million people. Fortunately, biomedical research is progressing and numerous significant advances have been made in recent years in the understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of osteoarthritis.

For the 2010 edition of the OARSI world congress, more than a 100 experts will share the galleries of 5 plenary sessions, 24 parallel sessions, 6 Breakfast Symposiums and 6 Satellite Symposiums.

Forums reserved for young researchers will be organised in order to enable them to meet experts.

Arthrosis is a disease which most frequently affects the joints. 15% of the world's population suffers from the disease. Over 70% of people aged 65 and over have the radiological signs of arthrosis. In Belgium it is estimated that the patients affected by arthrosis number 1 million. According to demographic predictions, this figure will develop strongly over the coming decades. In effect it is estimated that 30% of the population will be aged 65 and over in 2030.

Arthrosis essentially affects aged people. It is very incapacitating and impacts greatly on their quality of life. The handicap it brings about is a risk factor for other serious diseases such as diabetes, various types of thrombosis or myocardial infarction. It causes pain, deformation and stiffness in the joints. Lesions due to arthrosis are often observed in cartilage bearing zones, in other words the places where cartilage is subject to pressures for different reasons (weight, gestures bringing into play the strong muscles, etc.). There the thickness of the cartilage is progressively modified over the course of the process of arthrosis taking hold.  The cartilage becomes soft, loses its integrity and vertical cracks appear. There is the progressive establishment of small and deep ulcerations which sometimes stretch to the underlying bone.  The synovial membrane and the tendons which surround the joint become inflamed. The bone under the cartilage hardens. The muscles become atrophied. For these reasons the mobility of the joint is reduced and above all painful. Taken together as a whole these symptoms are at the root of what is called functional impotence, in other words the difficulty in generally carrying out a movement.

The factors which encourage the appearance and progression of arthrosis are being overweight, obesity, joint traumas, professional or sports based joint strains or genetic factors. Genetic factors play a role above all in generalised forms of the disease (affecting more than three joints). Arthrosis of the fingers linked to the appearance of nodules within the phalanxes essentially affects women and is hereditary.

The treatments are essentially symptomatic. They try to improve joint function and to reduce the pain. They can be classed as pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments. The non- pharmacological treatments are weight loss (for the knees and hips), aerobic exercises, muscle building and articular mobilisation, protective soles and supporting orthosis. A loss of weight in the order of 10 to 20% reduces the pain in weight bearing joints by 30%! The pharmacological treatments are analgesics (paracetamol, curcumin), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and slow acting symptomatic anti-arthrosic agents (glucosamine sulphate, chondroitin sulphate, and the unsaponifiables of avocado and soya).  Given the side effects of prolonged use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, they have to be administered at the minimal effective dose and over a short a period as possible. The use of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments is strongly recommended.

Numerous significant advances have been made in recent years in the understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of arthrosis. The discovery of the role played by adipokins (molecules synthesised by the adipose tissue), the subchondral bone (the bone situated under the cartilage) or cartilage vascularisation (normal cartilage is not vascularised) offers new therapeutic perspectives. The identification of new biological markers (molecules used in a controlled way in the blood or in urine) will in the near future allow early diagnosis of the disease, before the appearance of radiological signs. Finally, implanting stem cells and biomaterials in the cartilage constitutes a promising pathway for the treatment of cartilage lesions.

A young Belgian researcher rewarded

Several research grants will be attributed at the 2010 OARSI congress to young researchers who want to pursue their doctoral studies abroad. Amongst them a young Belgian researcher, Laurence Pessesse (UROC Laboratory, University of Liège), will receive this precious opening. This grant will enable her to work for three months in a prestigious London laboratory and to carry on her research into cartilage angiogenesis (the formation of blood vessels).