World’s largest global osteoporosis congress opens in Florence, Italy
Highly anticipated bone health event attracts more than 5,000 delegates from some 100 countries
May 5, 2010
Florence, Italy
A record number of researchers and clinicians from some 100 countries gathered today in Florence, Italy to share new information about osteoporosis, a serious chronic disease which leads to weakened bones and fractures in as many as one in three women and one in five men over the age of fifty.
The joint congress of the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) and the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis (ESCEO) is regarded as one of the premier forums for the presentation of osteoporosis-related clinical and basic research in 2010. A record 880 scientific abstracts were received in anticipation of the event, which features lectures and topical sessions by the top experts in the field.
In his welcome address to participants, IOF President Professor John A. Kanis said, "Over the next four days we look forward to presenting new and innovative research findings as well as important clinical perspectives on the prevention, management and treatment of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, diseases that have a devastating impact on ageing populations throughout the world."
ESCEO President Professor Jean-Yves Reginster stated, "IOF and ECCEO have joined forces to provide a truly global forum for the presentation of the latest research as well as a comprehensive learning environment for clinicians and allied health professionals. Our hope is that the advances presented at the Congress will be translated into improved prevention and care for the millions of people with osteoporosis and osteoarthritis on all continents."
The IOF WCO-ECCEO10 Congress continues until May 8 at the Fortezza da Basso Congress Center.
ENDS
ABOUT IOF
The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) is a nongovernmental umbrella organization dedicated to the worldwide fight against osteoporosis, the disease known as “the silent epidemic”. IOF’s members – committees of scientific researchers, patient, medical and research societies and industry representatives from around the world – share a common vision of a world without osteoporotic fractures. Launched in 1998 with the merger of the European Foundation for Osteoporosis (EFFO, founded in 1987) and the International Federation of Societies on Skeletal Diseases, IOF now represents 193 societies in 92 locations.
www.iofbonehealth.org
ABOUT ESCEO
The European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis (ESCEO) is a non-profit organization, dedicated to a close interaction between clinical scientists dealing with rheumatic disorders, pharmaceutical industry developing new compounds in this field, regulators responsible for the registration of such drugs and health policy makers, to integrate the management of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis within the comprehensive perspective of health resources utilization. The objective of ESCEO is to provide practitioners with the latest clinical and economic information, allowing them to organize their daily practice, in an evidence-based medicine perspective, with a cost-conscious perception.