ELEANA: Giving a Voice to People Living with axSpA in Greece
For more than 45 years, the Hellenic League Against Rheumatism (ELEANA) has been dedicated to improving the lives of people living with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases in Greece. Today, the organisation supports more than 10,000 patients and their families, promoting patient education, awareness, advocacy and equal access to healthcare.
As the Greek member of the Axial Spondyloarthritis International Federation (ASIF), ELEANA has made supporting people living with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) one of its key priorities. Our mission is to improve awareness of the disease, encourage earlier diagnosis, empower patients through education and strengthen collaboration between patients, healthcare professionals and researchers.
Throughout the year, ELEANA develops educational initiatives to help patients and the wider public better understand axial spondyloarthritis and its impact on everyday life. Through evidence-based information published on our website and social media channels, we raise awareness of inflammatory back pain, the importance of timely referral to a rheumatologist and the benefits of early diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
One of the organisation’s most important annual initiatives is its campaign for World AS Day.
For World AS Day 2026, ELEANA launched one of its most ambitious awareness campaigns to date under the central message: “It’s not just back pain – it’s the fear of tomorrow.”
The campaign highlighted that axial spondyloarthritis is much more than chronic back pain. It affects mobility, employment, mental health, relationships and quality of life, while many of its consequences remain invisible to those around us.
A key element of the campaign was the participation of acclaimed Greek actress Maria Papacharalambous, who lives with axial spondyloarthritis and collaborated with ELEANA as the World AS Day 2026 Campaign Ambassador.
Through a dedicated awareness video created exclusively for the campaign, she shared her personal experience, helping to humanise the disease and encourage more people to recognise its symptoms and seek specialist care.
The campaign combined educational social media content, patient stories, dedicated website articles and a national press campaign. Across Facebook alone, 19 campaign posts generated more than 233,000 views, a cumulative reach of over 166,000, almost 2,200 interactions, 271 shares and more than 6,400 link clicks, demonstrating strong public engagement with the campaign’s messages.
The media campaign further amplified its impact. ELEANA’s press release was reproduced by 39 national and regional media outlets, generating 112 references to axial spondyloarthritis and reaching a potential audience of more than 24.7 million unique visitors, while all recorded media coverage was positive.
Supporting people with axSpA extends well beyond awareness campaigns. ELEANA actively promotes peer support through the public Facebook community “Living with Chronic Pain,” coordinated by Board Member Nadia Malliou. The group offers a welcoming environment where people living with chronic pain—including individuals with axial spondyloarthritis—can exchange experiences, access reliable information and support one another throughout their journey.
ELEANA also believes that the patient voice should be present wherever decisions about care and research are being discussed. For several years, the organisation has been consistently invited to participate in the Hellenic Symposium on Spondyloarthritis, a biennial scientific meeting dedicated exclusively to axial spondyloarthritis and psoriatic arthritis. The symposium brings together rheumatologists, researchers and healthcare professionals, while recognising the importance of integrating the patient perspective into scientific dialogue. Its latest edition also welcomed international participation, further strengthening its scientific profile.
Beyond Greece, ELEANA actively contributes to the international rheumatology community through its participation with ASIF, EULAR PARE and other European collaborations. We strongly believe that sharing knowledge, exchanging good practices and working together across borders enables patient organisations to create greater impact and improve the lives of people living with axial spondyloarthritis.
At ELEANA, we believe that informed patients, strong partnerships and an active patient voice are essential to improving outcomes for everyone living with axSpA. Together with our national and international partners, we remain committed to building a future where earlier diagnosis, better care and equal opportunities become a reality for every person affected by axial spondyloarthritis.
We look forward to welcoming our ASIF colleagues to Greece this October and to continuing our shared commitment to improving the lives of people living with axial spondyloarthritis around the world.
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