Hundreds of specialists will be meeting in Portimão to share knowledge about autoimmune diseases in the fourth edition of the Grupo HPA Saúde’s ‘Encontro de Autoimunidade’ (Autoimmune Meeting).
The event will take place between October 24 and 26 at the Portimão Municipal Museum.
Rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, lupus, myositis and systemic sclerosis are among the diseases that will be discussed.
“It is an ambitious programme,” says Dr Carlos Carneiro, an autoimmune disease specialist and head of the event, alongside Dr Nuno Fernandes who is also part of the organising committee.
“Four years ago, we started with around 30 people and now we already have hundreds of people signed up. This event has been growing exponentially,” explains Dr Carneiro.
One of the highlights of the event is the fact that nearly every autoimmune centre in Portugal will be taking part in the event.
“This makes us very proud but also puts a lot of responsibility on our shoulders. Not only in terms of the training that we will be providing our colleagues, but also because we will seek to ensure that patients have the maximum amount of information about their illnesses,” says Dr Carneiro.
Also represented will be many of the country’s public hospitals as well as the University College London Hospitals and the Hospital Clinic de Barcelona.
Until recently, Dr Carneiro explains, autoimmune diseases were considered rare because they were underdiagnosed.
“There were cases of people who had symptoms for months and months, and who were very often not taken seriously. Today, fortunately, there is a growing interest in autoimmune diseases. With the right diagnosis, we are able to improve a patient’s quality of life significantly.”
The meeting will also see specialists discuss topics such as alternative medicine, how patients can use the law in their favour and much more.
The full programme can be found online: https://www.grupohpa.com/uploads/files/IVEncontroAutoimunes.pdf
michael.bruxo@algarveresident.com
Photo: Dr Carlos Carneiro, autoimmune disease specialist
Photo by: BRUNO FILIPE PIRES/OPEN MEDIA GROUP
