An early diagnosis is key to ensuring a higher quality of life for those suffering from arthritis, leading medical experts have said.
The condition, which is often regarded as an invisible disease, can cause serious mental and physical anguish for those living with it.
However, early detection can help manage the condition allowing those with arthritis to lead a fulfilling life.
The National spoke to medical experts and people diagnosed with the disease, which causes swelling and tenderness in one or more joint, about how life can be affected by arthritis.
One of the main ways I manage my condition now is with my diet
Shama Khan,
Dubai resident
“Most of the damage that is caused to the joints happens in the first two or three years,” said Dr Ghita Harifi, a consultant rheumatologist and a member of the Middle East Arthritis Foundation.
“There is a window of opportunity to treat arthritis. We need to get that early diagnosis so we can treat patients when it’s at the inflammatory stage.”
The disease affects one in five people in the UAE, including children, said Dr Harifi, who was speaking before World Arthritis Day on October 12.
People with arthritis tend to have lower life expectancy than the general population, she said.
Globally, 60 per cent of people suffering from arthritis are aged between 18 and 64.
The World Health Organisation estimated there are up to 14 million people worldwide with rheumatoid arthritis.
Exercise and remain active
One Dubai resident who was recently diagnosed with arthritis was PE teacher Dale Rooney, 30, from Hull in northern England.
“I started noticing the symptoms when I was about 24 but it was in the last two years that I started to really feel my body deteriorating a lot,” said Mr Rooney, who was diagnosed in January.
“I used to play rugby a lot but had to stop earlier this year. The worst thing is the fear that comes with it.
“I am worried that my body is going to deteriorate more in the future.”
Since being diagnosed, Mr Rooney has been receiving medication which has helped him to manage his condition.
Exercising and remaining active have also played a huge role in allowing him to cope with the disease.
“I’ve started walking more, as well and going to the gym, and I find that has helped immensely,” he said.
“I can’t go 'hell for leather' any more, but I find I feel twice as good when I am exercising and active.
“I feel rusty when I wake up but if I exercise, I feel much better — both physically and mentally.”
Another Dubai resident who has learnt to live with arthritis is Shama Khan, 61, a former lecturer from Chennai in eastern India.
“I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 1995. I was limping along and living with the increased pain threshold until around 2008 when I was introduced to a doctor who offered a new course of treatment,” she said.
“One of the main ways I manage my condition now is with my diet. I have gone completely vegan and do a lot of meditation and yoga, which has helped dramatically.
“I can still do my daily chores and go for walks, if I feel the pain increasing then I adjust my routine accordingly.”
One Dubai-based doctor said part of the issue around arthritis awareness is it does not have the same high profile as other conditions that are less common.
“It affects so many people, from a young age upwards, but it isn’t discussed as openly as other diseases,” said Dr Nasr Al Jafari, a family medicine consultant who specialises in gut health.
“It can be extremely painful and incapacitate people from carrying out their daily lives.”
A person’s lifestyle and diet could play a major part in treating the symptoms, he added.
“It’s important to minimise the factors that cause stress to a body,” he said.
“That includes getting seven and a half to nine hours of sleep each night and reducing the amount of processed foods you eat.
“It’s not practical to just eat locally produced food and only drinking spring water, but it is possible to find a compromise to reduce how vulnerable your immune system is.”
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
