27th Belgian Congress of Rheumatology
The Royal Belgian Society of Rheumatology takes great pleasure in announcing the 27th Belgian Congress of Rheumatology, taking place in Gent on 20 – 22 September 2023.
This year’s congress will take place at De Bijloke.
Welcome!
Dear Colleagues,
The Royal Belgian Society for Rheumatology takes great pleasure in announcing the 27th Belgian Congress of Rheumatology, taking place in Gent on 20 – 22 September 2023.
This year’s congress will take place at De Bijloke.
De Bijloke is one of the historic hospitals of Ghent, an architectural jewel, which has been completely refurbished. The medieval infirmary now is the main Concert Hall (where for instance the Symphony Orchestra Flanders has its home base). The other meeting rooms with enthralling names such as the ‘Anatomical Theatre’ have also been completely renovated.
We look forward to welcoming you to Gent!
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Sabine Castro
Dr. Anaïs Depicker
Dr. Valérie Lambrecht
Dr. Liesbet Van Praet
Local Organising Committee
Call for Abstracts
Call for Abstracts: CLOSED
Authors will be notified of the acceptance of their abstract by email early July 2023.
Authors can submit their abstracts for oral or poster presentation. It is to be noted that the Scientific Committee will select a limited number of abstracts for oral presentation in the Young Investigators’ Meeting, the abstract sessions and the Thieves Market (send us your most remarkable clinical cases!). The other abstracts will be accepted for poster presentation, after peer review.
The three most challenging clinical cases submitted for the Thieves Market will be selected by the scientific committee for an oral presentation. This year, a 750 € prize will be granted to the young rheumatologist who presented the best of these three selected clinical cases.
Download the abstract template here.
Submission Guidelines
You can submit several abstracts at the same time and add abstracts later on:
- Click on the link below to start and create a profile.
- Fill out your personal details and go through the submission procedure.
Your abstract(s) is/are only uploaded successfully when you receive an automatic reply confirming your submission(s).
IMPORTANT: The uploaded Word file(s) must contain title, authors & affiliations and the actual abstract.
Click here for step by step guidance through the online submission procedure.
Instructions for Authors
- Abstracts must be written in English not exceeding 450 words (including title, authors, affiliations), and must be submitted as a
- Word file (xxx.doc) via the online submission form.
- Use font Arial 10 characters per inch (font size 10).
- Use single spacing and type the text unjustified without hyphenating words at line breaks. Use hard returns only to end headings and paragraphs, not to rearrange lines
- Type title in sentence case in bold with no full stop at the end
- Type family name first followed by the initials of the first name of the authors (Rubens P.P., Van Eyck J. etc.)
- Type affiliation underneath the authors: Department, Institution, City, Country (do not mention street addresses, PO boxes or zip codes). When there are multiple affiliations number them as follows and use the semi-colon between the multiple affiliations:
- 1Dept. A, Hospital A, City, Country; 2Dept. B,
Hospital B, City, Country etc.
- 1Dept. A, Hospital A, City, Country; 2Dept. B,
- Organise the abstract in sections as follows, using the exact section name and colon:
- Background/Purpose
Background or statement of purpose
- Methods
Methods, materials, and analytical procedure used - Results
Summary of the results in sufficient detail to support conclusion - Conclusion
Conclusions reached
- Paragraph headings should by typed in bold with no colon at the end. Do not use the heading ‘Abstract’. Each heading should be in a separate paragraph.
- The use of References must be limited to max 3. When you list references, use superscript numbers in both the text and the reference list. Use Arial font size 8 for references
Program
10.00
Young Investigators’ Meeting
10.00
(A1) IgG-Fc-N-sialylation and -galactolysation in primary Sjögren’s
Syndrome (pSS) in its potential as marker of disease state and desease activity
Helena Achten (UGent)
10.15
(A2) Patient-physician discordance is associated with less
consistent treat-to-target implementation, impairing remission
in early RA: a mediation analysis of CareRA
Michaël Doumen (KUL)
10.30
(A3) B cell and plasmablast signature underpins transcriptomic
heterogeneity in JIA synovitis
Clément Triaille (UCL)
10.45
(A4) Upstream modulation of kindlin-2 as a possible therapeutic target of osteoarthritis
Ana Victoria Rojo (KUL)
11.00
(A5) Monoclonal anti-MDA5 autoantibodies derived from a
dermatomyositis patient target the Hel2i domain of the MDA5
protein
Eveline Van Gompel (KUL)
11.15
(A6) Description of peripheral blood perfusion by Laser Speckle Contrast Analysis (LASCA) in ‘Early’ versus ‘Clinically Overt’ Systemic Sclerosis in routine clinics
Seppe Willems (UGent)
11.30
(A7) Immunoprofiling of immunoglobulin-associated peptides in patients with rheumatoid arthritis using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry
Jonas De Leeuw (KUL)
11.45
(A8) Decoding the T-cell receptor repertoire In chronic arthritis across different ages, disease groups, and T-cell subsets
My Ha (UAntwerpen)
12.00
Welcome Lunch
11.00
SESSION 1: Spondyloarthropathy and psoriatic arthritis
12.45
Opening ceremony
13.00
Vesalius Lecture
Tell me your secret: What’s the best strategy to induce remission in SpA?
Dirk Elewaut (UGent)
13.30
Update in Therapeutics 1 – Organised with an educational grant from UCB
Advancing SpA treatment by optimally using innovative therapies
Filip Van den Bosch (UGent)
14.00
Abstract presentations
(A9) Sacroiliac bone marrow oedema on postpartum MRI does not result in significant spondyloarthritis-like structural lesions: Results of a 5-year follow-up study
Liesbeth De Meester (UGent)
14.10
(A10) Facet joint inflammation is rare, but when present it is associated with facet joint ankylosis in radiographic axial spondyloarthritis patients from the SIAS cohort
Manouk de Hooge (UGent)
14.20
Comorbidities in psoriatic arthritis: The chicken or the egg?
Kurt de Vlam (KUL)
14.50
Coffee Break
11.00
SESSION 2: Osteoporosis and bone disease
15.20
Bone & Joint Lecture
Alkaline phosphatase, too much or not enough: what the rheumatologist should know
Michaël Laurent (KUL)
15.50
What can we expect from bone turnover markers for OP management?
Etienne Cavalier (CHU de Liège)
16.00
Coffee Break
16.20
Abstract presentations
(A11) Prevalence and risk factors of osteoporosis in a Belgian cohort of lung transplant candidates: The PROgres Study
Edwin Curraj (UCL)
16.30
(A12) Soluble buffered alendronate after denosumab discontinuation in erosive hand OA patients
Tine Vanhaverbeke (UGent)
16.40
(A13) Can “Trabecular Bone Score” predict bone micro-architecture in patients with rheumatoid arthritis?
Olivier Malaise (CHU de Liège)
16.50
Break
11.00
SESSION 3: Ethics and Economy
17.30
Updates from ReumaNet, CLAIR and BeHPR: How we can help each other
18.00
General Assembly for the Professional Association
Laurent Méric de Bellefon (CNDG, CHU Saint Pierre, UCL)
18.15
Abstract Presentations
(A14) Is it more efficient to realize systematic vertebral fracture assessment (VFA) during dual energy X-ray, or to follow the guidelines?
Pauline Salpetier (CHU de Liège)
18.25
(A15) The cost-effectiveness of etanercept tapering in patients with established rheumatoid arthritis in terms of disease control
Kjell van der Walle (KUL)
18.35
An engineer’s look at the future of health
Pascal Verdonck (AZ Maria Middelares)
19.30
Walking Dinner
SESSION 4
08.30
Update in Therapeutics 3 – Organised with an educational grant from GSK
Vaccine preparation, particularly zona vaccination, for immunosuppressive treatments in rheumatological patients
Maya Hites, ULB
09.00
Update in Therapeutics 4 – Organised with an educational grant from Abbvie
Sense and non sense of axPsA
Gaëlle Varkas, UGent
09.30
Abstract presentations – Basic research
(A16) A novel brain-bone axis mediates bone loss in psoriatic arthritis, without affecting inflammation severity
Renée Van der Cruyssen (UGent)
09.40
(A17) Influence of cigarette smoke on innate-like T cells in HLA-DR4 transgenic mice
Matthias Jarlborg (UGent)
09.50
(A18) Cartilage-specific deletion of Igf-1 protects against posttraumatic osteoarthritis in mice
Ana Escribano (KUL)
10.00
Coffee Break
10.30
10.55
Giant cell arteritis imaging: Update on PET-CT
Daniel Blockmans (KUL)
Giant cell arteritis treatment: Something other than
glucocorticoids?
Daniel Blockmans (KUL)
11.20
CAP-48 early arthritis cohort: How to better understand disease from clinic to lab?
Patrick Durez (UCL), Paschalis Sidras (ULB) & Dominique de Seny (ULiège)
12.15
General Assembly
12.30
Lunch
13.30
FWRO/ FRSR Awards Ceremony
Best FWRO/FRSR Projects
13.40
(A19) Genetic predisposition to Systemic sceloris
Pierre Maus (de Duve institute)
13.50
(A20) Identification of new autoantibodies in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies
Jean-Baptiste Vulsteke (KUL)
14.0
(A21) Incidence, prevalence and long-term progression of Goh algorithm rated interstitial lung disease in systemic sclerosis in two independent cohorts in Flanders: A retrospective cohort study
Vanessa Smith (UGent)
11.00
SESSION 5
14.10
Update in Therapeutics 5 – Organised with an educational grant from Galapagos
JAK to the basics: How real-world JAKi data in RA can support you in clinical practice
Lars Erik Kristensen, Denmark
14.40
At-risk of RA: Are you tempted to treat?
Laurence Duquenne, United Kingdom
15.10
Abstract Presentations
(A22) Effectiveness of COBRA-Slim with or without early access to 24-weeks etanercept in early RA: Primary outcome of CareRA2020
Delphine Bertrand (KUL)
15.20
(A23) Heterogeneity of the joint location supports the importance of local factors in early RA synovitis: Analysis of the ERA UCLouvain Brussels cohort
Laura Bricman (UCL)
15.30
(A24) Lung ultrasound as a screening tool in rheumatoid arthritis: Preliminary results
Marie Vermant (KUL)
15:40
Coffee break
16.10
Update in Therapeutics 6 – Organised with an educational grant from Novartis
Juvenile Rheumatic Diseases: From autoinflammation to autoimmunity: An update on diagnostics and therapeutics
Rik Joos (ZNA)
16.40
Abstract Presentations
(A25) Novel antibodies that predict failure to reach early and sustained remission or low disease activity after first-line therapy in rheumatoid arthritis
Sukayna Fadlallah (UHasselt)
16.50
(A26) CD68 and fibrinoid necrosis are synovial biomarkers of severity in early rheumatoid arthritis and are associated with a better response to methotrexate: Analysis of the UCLouvain Brussels ERA cohort
Francesco Natalucci (UCL)
17.00
17.45
My RA patient has difficulty breathing, what should I think?
Antoine Froidure, UCL, Belgium
Adjourn
11.00
Meeting for Health Professionals in Rheumatology – Morning
08.45
Registration
09.00
Welcome
09.15
Session 1
Chair: Tanja De Bruyn
Rheumatology in the emergency room
Femke Meynen (Reuma Instituut Hasselt/Jessa Ziekenhuis/ Medisch Centrum Beringen)
10.15
Highlights from EULAR HPR 2023
Diederick De Cock (VUB)
10.30
Coffee Break
10.45
Session 2
Chair: Thanny Bries
Anja Römling (CIB Liga)
11.00
Anja Marchal (ReumaNet)
11.40
General Assembly
12:00
Lunch & opportunity to network
11.00
Meeting for Health Professionals in Rheumatology – Afternoon
13:00
Session 3
Chair: Tanja De Bruyn
Edgar Eeckman (President VZW Patient Empowerment)
14:10
Empowering personal well-being: Learning psychological tools for a stronger you
Anne-Lize Stassen (Cocoun consulting, psychotherapy/coaching)
15:00
Coffee break
15:15
Session 4
Chair: Thanny Bries
Pediatric rheumatology
Rik Joos (UZA)
16:00
Physical Therapy and physical activity in patients with spondyloarthritis
Marlies Kaerts (UZL)
16:30
Closing and a safe trip back home
11.00
SESSION 6: Immunology
08.45
Yves Piette (UGent, AZ Sint-Jan Brugge – Oostende)
09.15
Abstract presentations
(A27) Systematic screening of swallowing disorders in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies: a retrospective study
Meilyn Bolland (CHU de Liège) Yves Piette (UGent, AZ Sint-Jan Brugge – Oostende)
09.25
(A28) Obesity is an independent poor prognostic factor in Lupus Nephritis
Farah Tamirou (UCL)
09.35
Year in review
Olivier Malaise (CHU de Liège)
10.15
Update in Therapeutics 7 – Organised with an educational grant from Lilly
Finding the right treatment for the right patient
Kristof Thevissen (Reumacentrum Genk)
10.45
Coffee Break
11.15
Update in Therapeutics 8- Organised with an educational grant from Pfizer
Healing the healers: Cultivating mental wellness among physicians
Bert Van den Bossche (Reumacentrum Genk)
11.00
SESSION 7: Thieves’ Market: Show me your best case and become a rich rheumatologist
11.45
Best clinical cases
(A29) Help, my ears are dying!
Farah Tamirou (UCL)
12.00
(A30) Lipoid pneumonia in adult autoinflammatory disease: cytokine blocking agents as unusual suspects? Case report and literature review
Katrien Slabbynck (UGent)
12.15
(A31) Pituitary necrosis in a patient with ANCA-PR3: should we think of other diagnoses than granulomatosis with polyangeitis?
Cédric Peters (CHU de Liège)
12.30
Thieves’ Market Awards
12.40
Closure of the Congress
12.45
Farewell Lunch
De Bijloke
Bijlokekaai 7
9000 Gent
De Bijloke is located in the city centre at a 18 – 20 minutes’ walking distance from the hotels and at a 7 minutes’ walk from the nearest tram stop.
Hotel Accommodation
A number of hotel rooms have been booked at special group rates.
These rates only apply for reservations made through Medicongress.
You can reserve your hotel room through the online registration form.
Any requests for hotel accommodation must be accompanied by a valid credit card number, in order to secure the room. Participants will have to pay their room and personal expenses at the reception of the hotel.
In case of late cancellation or no show, the room will be charged on the credit card.
| Hotel | Registration Fees | Cancellation Policy |
|---|---|---|
Hotel de Flandre**** | Single Room: € 159,00/night Double Room: € 179,00/night WiFi & Breakfast are included. City Tax: € 3,00/person/night | Free cancellation untill 48 hours before the day of arrival. Late cancellation or no showx: 100% will be charged. |
Hotel de Flandre****
 | Single Room: On 20/09: € 239,00/night On 21/09: € 259,00/night Double Room: On 20/09: € 259,00/night On 21/09: € 279,00/night WiFi & Breakfast are included. City Tax: € 3,00/person/night Parking: € 25,00/car/night | Free cancellation until 7 days prior to arrival. Late cancellation or no show: 100% will be charged |
NH Ghent Belfort****
 | Double Room: € 186,50/night WiFi & Breakfast are included. City Tax: € 3,00/person/night | The rooms can be cancelled free of charge up to 30 days before arrival. Late cancellation or no show: 100% will be charged |
Hotel Gravensteen****
 | Single Room: € 159,00/night
Double Room: € 179,00/night WiFi & Breakfast are included. City Tax: € 3,00/person/night | All late cancellations or no shows will be charged at 100% of their stay |
Ibis Gent Centrum St-Baafs Kathedraal****
 | Single room: € 132,00/night
Double room: €148,00/night WiFi & Breakfast are included. City Tax: € 3,00/person/night Parking is available upon reservation. | Free cancellation until 2 days prior to arrival. Late cancellation or no show: 100% will be charged. |
Ibis Gent Centrum Opera****
 | Single room: € 120,00/night
Double room: €139,00/night WiFi & Breakfast are included. City Tax: € 3,00/person/night Parking: € 20,00/car/night | Free cancellation until 2 days prior to arrival. Late cancellation or no show: 100% will be charged. |
Partners
Platinum Partners
Gold Partners
Silver Partners
Registration
| Registration Fees | EARLY (until 31 Aug) | LATE (as of 1 Sept) |
|---|---|---|
| Member KBVR-SRBR | € 300,00 | € 400,00 |
| Non-Member | € 400,00 | € 500,00 |
| Trainee in Rheumatology* | € 50,00 | € 75,00 |
| Other Trainee* | € 75,00 | € 100,00 |
| Research non-MD* | € 50,00 | € 75,00 |
| Emeritus | € 50,00 | € 75,00 |
| Congress Dinner | € 75,00 | € 75,00 |
| Healthcare Professionals' Meeting on Thursday (21 Sept) | FREE | FREE |
* Registration as a trainee or researcher will only be accepted if accompanied by a copy of your student card or a certificate of your director (proof to be uploaded during the registration process). Without proof the non-member fee will be charged.
The registration fee for BCR participants include:
- Participation in all scientific sessions
- Participation in the ‘Updates in Therapeutics’ organised by the Industry
- Programme and Abstracts
- Access to the exhibition
- Lunches and coffee breaks
- Walking Dinner on Wednesday
The free registration for Healthcare Professionals in the BeHPR meeting on Thursday includes
- Participation in all scientific sessions on Thursday 21 September
- Lunch and coffee breaks on Thursday 21 September
Confirmation
When your registration is completed successfully, you will receive an automatic confirmation. You can also print an invoice when you finalise your online registration.
Payment
All payments are to be made in EURO, net of all bank charges and commissionf for the receiver.
Payment is to be made by:
- Credit Card: Only VISA & MasterCard are accepted
- Bank Wire
Changes/Name Substitutions
You will receive a personal link in your final confirmation email. With this link it will be possible to make changes or transfer your registration to a colleague free of charge.
Cancellations
Participants canceling their registration before 1 September 2023, will receive a full refund, less administration costs (50 € for members and non-members and 25 € for trainees, researchers and emeriti). There will be no refunds for cancellations received after this date. Cancellations must be confirmed in writing to the Organising Secretariat. All refunds will be processed after the Congress.
Accreditation
Belgian accreditation has been requested.
Our terms and conditions
These terms and conditions apply to all payments/registrations made to Medicongress Services. By using the online payment facility on this website you implicitly accept these general terms and conditions.
By entering your credit card information:
You state that you are an authorized user of the credit card and that the associated information entered is accurate. You authorize Medicongress Services to charge the booked amount to your credit card.
Declined/ Refused payments:
We cannot accept liability if the payment is refused or declined by the credit/ debit card supplier (due to the customer quoting incorrect card details or other reasons).
Declined/ Refused payments:
We cannot accept liability if the payment is refused or declined by the credit/ debit card supplier (due to the customer quoting incorrect card details or other reasons).
Liability and Insurance
In registering for the 27th Belgian Congress on Rheumatology, participants agree that neither BCR 2023 nor the Organizing Secretariat assume any liability whatsoever. Participants should therefore organize their own health, travel and personal insurances.
Privacy Policy
MediCongress is committed to protecting your personal data. The privacy notice on our website outlines how we collect, share and use your personal data, and how you can exercise your privacy rights involving your data.
Force Majeure
The Organizers and co-Organizers of the Congress shall not be held responsible for any delay or failure in performance of its obligations hereunder to the extent such delay or failure is caused by fire, flood, strike, civil, governmental or military authority, acts of God, acts of terrorism, acts of war, epidemics, the un-availability of the venue or other similar causes beyond its reasonable control and without fault or negligence. For one or more of such reasons, the organizers and any co-organizers of the Congress may postpone, reschedule or cancel the event without liability on the part of organizers and co-organizers of the Congress. In the event the Congress cannot be held or is postponed pursuant to this section, the organizers and co-organizers of the Congress shall not be liable to attendee for any direct, consequential or incidental damages, costs, or losses incurred, such as transportation costs, accommodations costs, or financial losses.