The 19th Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology Congress (APLAR 2017), was helded in Dubai from Oct 16 -20  in collaboration with the Emirates Society of Rheumatology (ESR) under the Umbrella of the Emirates Medical Association and Under the Esteemed Patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance, is the President of the Dubai Health Authority, with the support of the major International pharmaceutical companies.

The conference aim to raise awareness of IMID diseases like RA and SpA as chronic progressive and debilitating diseases, and focusing on IMIDs as it have a high prevalence and incidence in ME.

The conference also seeks to raise awareness of Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis, Spondylitis and other Rheumatic diseases.

APLAR also focused on the importance of conducting medical examinations and early diagnosis of patients, which is considered as importance as the  Studies in this field have shown that early diagnosis is one of the main reasons for the decline and control of the disease.

APLAR 2017 focused on chronic inflammatory diseases of the joints, and the most important scientific challenges in the chronic diseases of chronic joints, early detection, symptoms and how to control the disease, in addition to scientific sessions, interactive seminars and an exhibition that highlights the most prominent findings, modern technologies and the latest discoveries in the treatment of these diseases.

The conference, which was attended by about 1,500 doctors and researchers from around the world and hosted in the main conference hall at the Dubai World Trade Center, discussed how to improve the results of chronic arthritis treatment for all ages.

The conference addressed the different ways and methods of treatment and the importance of early detection of the disease and commitment to treatment, timing and non-stop for any reason without the consultation to the doctor.

The conference included a diverse scientific program that included public lectures, scientific sessions, interactive seminars and a huge exhibition to showcase the latest discoveries in this field.

Eminent international and regional experts delivered talks to highlight the latest data and discussed ways of improving patient outcomes in the management of these chronic immune mediated diseases.

The speakers in the conference included APLAR congress chairman, Dr Waleed Al Shehhi, the president of emirates society for RHema, and Consultant Rheumatology in Suleiman Al Habib hospital in Dubai, as well as Dr Hmira Badasha, the Consultant Of Rheumatology Diseases who focused on the Scientific Journey of UAE's doctors who improved the Diagnosis from 12 months to one month or 5 months in advanced cases.

Dr Mohamed farghaly, the head of medical insurance regulation at DHA, discussed the health care in Dubai as well as the role of DHA, focusing on how the UAE applies the international standards in healthcare and the issuance of legislation regulating this important sector.

Dr. Mustafa Al-Azzi, the Consultant of Rheumatology at Mediclinic Welcare, Dubai, spoke about the health system in Dubai, pointing to the importance of health insurance and discussing the importance of chronic diseases.

 AL-Azzi added that the level of health services offered in the UAE are similar to the others in the advanced countries.

The leading international and regional experts highlighted the latest data on the prevalence of arthritis in the UAE, which shows that 20% of the population suffers from arthritis.

The experts focused on the ways to improve the condition of patients by controlling these chronic immune diseases, as well as how to adhere to treatment, in addition to the symptoms that help to discover the disease as  pain, stiffness or swelling in the joints, pointing out that these symptoms vary according to the diagnosis.

Dr. Walid Al-Shehhi, considered the conference to be one of the most important conferences for rheumatoid in the world, focusing on clarifying the steps of practical application of the method of treatment of chronic immune diseases through multidisciplinary cooperation in clinics and hospitals, Methods of treatment for patients and optimal methods of disease control.

Al-Shehhi expected that the conference help to enhance the level of awareness among the attendees about the diseases of rheumatism in general.

APLAR 2017 is the largest gathering of rheumatologists outside EULAR and ACR.

Pharmaceutical companies which are supporting APLAR, are focusing on the needs of patients by raising the awareness of all health care professionals, and building effective programs to treat patients, ensuring the best therapeutic results, and discovering a new developed medicine as a thousands of patients are suffering from the disease.