Establishment of the International Assessment Committee of Bone and Joint Diseases

During the International Conference of the Bone and Joint Decade, held in Tokyo in April 2002, the International Assessment Committee of Bone and Joint Diseases was established. This committee is responsible for data collection, effective prevention and treatment, supply of care provisions, costs and priorities, and measurement to determine the outcome of patients with bone and joint diseases. Study planning was initiated by the Japanese Committee of Assessment, in cooperation with the Bone and Joint Monitor Project conducted by Prof. Anthony Woolf. As a result of our studies, we expect to obtain data concerning international comparisons of incidence, prevalence, and impact, as well as secular trends regarding the burden of musculoskeletal conditions, risk factors, and outcomes of each condition. Described here are results of population-based studies regarding the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and limb fractures in Japan compared with those in Western countries, as well as a comparison of secular trends of RA incidence between Japanese and European subjects.