When: January 26–27, 2005
Where: NIH Campus, Lister Hill Auditorium, Bethesda, MD
Institute: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

Muscular dystrophies and other chronic muscle diseases can place a heavy burden on patients, their caretakers, and society at large. NIAMS is holding a workshop that brings together a diverse group of speakers and panelists with expertise in basic and clinical muscle disease research, epidemiology, health economics, health services, and public health policy.

The goals of the workshop include:

• To identify the economic and psychosocial components of the burden placed on individuals, families, and societies as a result of chronic muscle diseases, including muscular dystrophies.
  
  
• To assess the available data and means of collecting data on these components.
  
  
• To find ways to assess the burden of muscle diseases by developing a process to strengthen and prioritize research and health care activities.

Next Steps
For additional information regarding this meeting, visit www.niams.nih.gov/ne/mcw/burden_of_muscle_disease.htm. The meeting is free and open to the public. Please register as soon as possible because space is limited. Registration and lodging information is available at the Web site above.

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