Today, close to 7100* researchers and health care professionals from some 60 countries will be attending the opening of the Virtual WCO-IOF-ESCEO 2022, the largest Congress in the field of musculoskeletal disorders, including osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, frailty, sarcopenia, and rare skeletal diseases. The annual Congress is a joint event hosted by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) and the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (ESCEO). 
  
Professor Jean-Yves Reginster, Congress Co-Chair and President of ESCEO, stated: 
  
“Due to continued Corona-19 virus travel restrictions, we took the difficult decision of transitioning the annual IOF-ESCEO World Congress to a virtual format.  However, following the unprecedented success of the virtual Congresses in 2020 and 2021, we anticipate that this year’s Congress will attract broad global participation and lead to extensive viewing of the programme over the next three months. We thank the Scientific Committee Chairs, Professors René Rizzoli and Cyrus Cooper, and all the invited speakers for their valued contributions to what is sure to be another outstanding annual Congress.” 
  
The Virtual WCO-IOF-ESCEO 2022 Congress programme will feature 10 plenary lectures by leading experts in the bone field, 28 oral- and 25 poster- presentations selected from 905 accepted abstracts, 24 Non-Sponsored Symposia on a wide range of topics, 16 Meet-the-Expert sessions, 3 educational lectures, and 4 industry-sponsored symposia. Forty prestigious awards to honour individual achievements and research by young investigators will also be presented. The majority of the virtual sessions will be delivered ‘live’ with the opportunity for questions and answers, and the complete Congress programme will be recorded and accessible to registrants for three months after the Congress. The congress has been accredited by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME^®) with 13 European CME credits (ECMEC^®s) that may also be converted into an equivalent number of AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^TM. 
  
Osteoarthritis, a disorder that affects an estimated 10% to 15% of all adults aged over 60, will be a focus topic throughout the program, including in a Meet-the-Expert session, two dedicated ESCEO Symposia, and in the joint OARSI-ESCEO Symposium 'Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis revisited: how are they linked, and if so, how?' and the ESPRM-ESCEO joint Symposium 'Update in Nonpharmacological and Nonsurgical Approaches in Osteoarthritis'. Further focus topics within the extensive programme include osteoporosis, sarcopenia and frailty, post-fracture care and Fracture Liaison Service development, and topics of special interest to orthopaedists, including the SICOT-IOF-ESCEO Symposium 'Fragility Fractures in Osteoporotic Patients'. 
  
IOF Honorary President and Congress Co-Chair Professor John A. Kanis, urged healthcare professionals to attend the Congress, adding: 
  
“Musculoskeletal disorders are the second greatest cause of disability worldwide and represent a costly and rapidly growing human and socioeconomic burden. Given the urgent need to address the increasing burden of disability and early death due to these disorders, it is critical that physicians and researchers stay abreast of the latest advances in the field. We look forward to presenting an outstanding scientific programme which will give delegates insights into new clinical research and state-of-the-art advances in prevention and patient care.” 
  
The WCO-IOF-ESCEO 2022 abstracts will be published in the scientific journal ‘Osteoporosis International’. 

* 7095 as of 25.03.21  
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About the World Congress on Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis & Musculoskeletal Diseases (WCO-IOF-ESCEO) 
Held jointly by IOF and ESCEO, the WCO-IOF-ESCEO annual congress is the world’s largest forum for the presentation of clinical research and new advances in the prevention and management of musculoskeletal disorders, including osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, sarcopenia, and frailty. The WCO-IOF-ESCEO 2022 is held as a virtual Congress. For complete information visit https://virtual.wco-iof-esceo.org/

The WCO-IOF-ESCO 2023 is planned from May 4-7, 2023 in Barcelona, Spain. 

About ESCEO 
The European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (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 policymakers, 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, from an evidence-based medicine perspective, with a cost-conscious perception. http://www.esceo.org

About IOF 
The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) is the world's largest nongovernmental organization dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis and related musculoskeletal diseases. IOF members, including committees of scientific researchers as well as more than 300 patient, medical and research organizations, work together to make fracture prevention and healthy mobility a worldwide heath care priority. https://www.osteoporosis.foundation  @iofbonehealth