Although osteoarthritis affects more than 500 million people in the world, according to the World Health Organisation, there is no cure or any approved drugs to treat or prevent the disease and the only available treatments are painkillers, anti-inflammatory medications, and total joint replacement.
By the year 2050 1 in 3 will suffer from osteoarthritis, and to this day, there is no cure.
Therefore, the aim of the NetwOArk COST Action – The Open European Network on OsteoArthritis – is to set up a European Society for Osteoarthritis. Launched, in October 2022, the network gathers patients, clinicians, and researchers, from academia and industry in 17 countries. NetwOArk intends to build an inclusive network and a new society that brings together all the major key players, including patients, patient advocacy groups, scientists, doctors, pharmaceutical companies, small and medium-sized enterprises, medical device manufacturers, and policymakers.
I’m always impressed by what expensive and complicated treatments we come up with instead of just telling people not to get/stay fat. Being fat doesn’t make you any less valuable as a human being, but that doesn’t mean being fat isn’t bad for you.
Telling people not to get fat is ineffective. This is proven by the countless messages we see every day about how bad it is to be fat.
You have to have/provide solutions for people to lose weight (and no, simply telling people to eat less/exercise more doesn’t count) that work. Different people need different solutions, too.