Report on the Second Asia Autoimmunity Forum, Hong Kong, 3-5 March 2006

Abstract

The Second Asia Autoimmunity Forum was jointly organized by the Hong Kong Society of Rheumatology, the University of Hong Kong, and the Singapore National Arthritis Foundation, and was attended by over 200 delegates from around Asia. More than 20 invited international and regional experts in the field of autoimmune rheumatic diseases from China, Greece, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Singapore, and South Korea attended the meeting. A total of eight plenary lectures and four clinical symposia covered topics ranging from the role of dendritic cells and various genes in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus, the changes in disease manifestations during pregnancy in lupus, advances on genetic studies in ankylosing spondylitis (AS), the role of dendritic cells and cytokines in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to the novel emerging targets for treatment of RA, systemic sclerosis (SSc) and primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS). It was an excellent avenue promoting the co-ordination and exchange of knowledge in the area of autoimmune rheumatic diseases in Asia. © 2006 Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology.