The annual EULAR congress is now a major event in the calendar of world rheumatology. As have previous congresses during the last decade, Madrid 2013 will provide a unique event for the exchange of scientific and clinical information. It will be a platform to facilitate interactions between patients, medical doctors, scientists, health professionals, and professionals representing the pharmaceutical industry both from within Europe and from around the world. In addition, we will also continue our initiative of closer cooperation with primary care physicians and professionals - a commitment we started in London in 2011.
EULAR congresses have grown rapidly in terms of participation and quality of contributions. This partly reflects the increased interest in arthritis and related musculoskeletal diseases which is seen in most societies. The expansion also reflects the increased availability of information on the impact and burden of these diseases and the significantly improved potential for diagnosis and treatment. The integration of health professionals and patient organisations within EULAR has proved to be a considerable stimulus for these advances. This integration will facilitate the implementation of recommendations for management/standards of care of musculoskeletal disorders in daily practice.
The EULAR Congress 2013 in Madrid will once again offer a wide range of topics including clinical innovations, clinical translational and basic science. In addition, there will be meetings organised by people with arthritis, by health professionals and by the health care industry. The central activity of the congress will be poster presentations and poster tours with their highly interactive exchanges among participants. The Madrid event will further strengthen the reputation of the EULAR Congress as a highly innovative and informative venue for clinical and translational researchers not only within the different facets of our discipline (e.g., pain, bone, mechanical and inflammatory disorders) but also for practising physicians who will find updated high-quality information on the manage.ment of diseases commonly seen in daily rheumatological practice.