Most arthritis patients in UAE go undiagnosed

Twenty per cent of the UAE population is afflicted with arthritis, yet only around 6,000 are officially diagnosed.

Furthermore, patients with Rheumatoid arthritis have an average delay in diagnosis of 18 months in the UAE, compared with only 6 months in Europe.

These numbers were presented by the Emirates Arthritis Foundation in the lead up to the 2nd Abu Dhabi Advanced Rheumatology Review Course (ADARRC), held last month in the capital.

The reason for the exceptional delay according to Mustafa Al-Maini is a lack of awareness about the symptoms and the proper reaction to these symptoms.

"In many countries the general practitioner is the first source of reference. This doctor is the first responder to the symptoms and decides which specialist the patient should look at.

"Here, patients tend to visit the specialist directly and this may not always be the right specialist to correctly identify arthritis symptoms," explains Al-Maini, ADARRC course director and Head of the Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology Department at Mafraq Hospital. Mafraq Hospital is managed and operated by the Abu Dhabi Health Services Co PJSC (SEHA).

Meanwhile a joint study of Dubai Health Authority and Dubai Statistics Center revealed that due to a lack of proper reference patients tend to travel abroad for treatment. Significantly, the most common complaint that led to this travel was joint problems.

"Joint problems have been a focus of DHA for a while, and we regularly invite experts to increase the level of knowledge," said Laila al Jassmi, CEO Health Policy & Strategy Sector at Dubai Health Authority.

But what causes patients to travel abroad for medical treatment is their lack of knowledge where to go and who to consult, explained Laila in conclusion of the study.

According to Al-Maini the number of specialists in the UAE is not enough. The Emirates Rheumatology Society to which he belongs gathers

40 members. "To serve the UAE population this should be 90," he says.

"The specialism is globally underserviced.

Enthusiasm for the specialism is relatively new," he explains. "In the last ten years we have been speaking of remission and even curing arthritis. But this was previously not the case, and there is more interest in specialism that can cure people."

The ADARRC will host 18 of the world’s leading rheumatology experts who will present their latest clinical research findings through a review course designed to keep participants at the cutting edge of developments in the fields of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology. 

“This will help raise awareness about the condition among the general public and enhance specialists understanding of the disease to aid in proper diagnosis and treatment of the disease,” Al-Maini said.

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