Sami Abdel Raouf (Dubai)
The first regional conference of the Academy of Dermatology and Venereology revealed that the UAE is the fourth country in the world to adopt and register 4 biological drugs for the treatment of psoriasis, two of which are used by injection, and the other two are pills.
The conference participants announced that eczema accounts for about 40% of the total cases of skin diseases, as it ranks first among these diseases, which also includes psoriasis, vitiligo, then alopecia and hidradenitis. Rashid, and the Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences, under the auspices of the Dubai Health Authority.
The conference, which was organized over two days, was attended by 450 doctors and specialists, in addition to specialists who participated virtually from many countries of the world, at the Intercontinental Festival City Hotel, Dubai. Dermatology and the Omani Association of Dermatology, Egyptian Academy of Dermatology.
The conference included 22 lectures by international, local and regional lecturers, 13 seminars, 4 interactive workshops, in addition to an intensive review course for young and experienced dermatologists. The conference offers 22 hours of professional development accredited by the Dubai Health Authority.
Dr. Mohamed Ahmed, President of the First Regional Conference of the Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, Consultant Dermatologist and Venereologist at Rashid Hospital, said: “The conference discussed methods of diagnosis, prevention, the latest treatment methods and techniques related to dermatology, venereology, pigmentation and cosmetic medicine.”
He added: “The conference presented intractable and rare clinical cases, and announced the first three places for the competition for the best medical case for beginners, as well as nail surgery for the treatment of tumors, whether benign or malignant in the nail area, and the use of a dermascope to diagnose skin pigmentation.”
For her part, Dr. Mahra Lutfi, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the First Regional Conference of the Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, resident doctor in the Dermatology Department at Rashid Hospital in Dubai, stated that the first foaming formulation in the UAE for the treatment of psoriasis was presented.
She explained that the formula was developed with a new technology that provides a higher concentration of the active substance on the skin in a highly soluble form. This allows for high transdermal bioavailability and penetration of calcipotriol and betamethasone, and therefore better efficacy compared to conventional topical treatments.
Lotfy said: “Today, this treatment is considered the first and only treatment approved in the internal leaflet for the proactive treatment of psoriasis, which reduces the number of relapses and prolongs the remission period with a dose of twice a week during the period of remission of symptoms for a year.”
In turn, Dr. Anwar Al Hammadi, a consultant dermatologist, pointed out that the UAE currently has 4 biological medicines to treat psoriasis, and medical practice shows that they achieve healing results of up to 80%, while the previous medicines that were prevalent until only 4 years ago caused significant side effects. The maximum cure rate is 50%.
Treatment
He stated that these new biological medicines treat severe and moderate cases that did not improve with treatment, noting that 60% of eczema cases disappear before 12 years, while it continues after the age of 12 years, with a rate ranging between 2 and 10% of cases. He pointed out that eczema affects children more than other age groups of the population.
Al Hammadi called, to focus on skin diseases; Given its importance and its impact on the general health status of society, and to be the most important and not the field of cosmetics that falls under dermatology.
In addition, Dr. Muhammad Fayhan Al-Otaibi, President of the Association of Dermatologists in the sisterly State of Kuwait, stressed that this conference is an opportunity for cooperation between dermatologists in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and an important occasion to exchange experiences with international speakers, and to identify new methods of treatment for skin diseases.