01 - 02 May 2009
Four Seasons Hotel, Damascus, Syria

The first ever Pan-Middle East Conference on Haemoglobinopathies took place in Damascus, Syria on 1–2 May 2009, organised by TIF under the auspices of WHO and under the patronage of the First Lady of Syria, Mrs Asmaa Al-Assad. The President of the Organising Committee was Dr Kusai Al-Zir of the National Thalassemia Center, Syria and the President of the Scientific Committee, Prof. Ali Taher of the AUB Medical Centre, Lebanon.

Focus on the Middle East
Haemoglobin disorders have a high prevalence in the Middle East and must be regarded as a priority public health issue. The carrier rate varies between 3% and 6% for β-thalassaemia, while the prevalence of sickle cell is up to 15% in some areas.
There is a need for joint efforts between national health authorities, medical communities, religious leads and patients’ groups to develop national programmes for the control of haemoglobin disorders that are both appropriate and acceptable to the communities and take into consideration local cultural, ethical and religious traditions.

For many years, TIF has collaborated closely with patients/parents, the WHO, national authorities and the medical community in promoting such programmes in the Middle East region. The First Pan Middle East Conference is TIF’s second regional conference, following the Pan-European Thalassaemia Workshop held in Lisbon in 2007.

The Conference was very well attended, with 260 health professionals and 151 patients from 17 countries of the Middle East. The scientific programme ran over two days, covering all aspects of prevention, management and care of thalassaemia and sickle cell disease, and a one-day patients’ programme included lots of opportunities for interaction and debates.

 

Download presentations from day 1:

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis – Mary Petrou
Ethical issues: Islamic views – Mohsen AF El-Hazmi
Prevention of haemoglobinopathies in Syria – Kusai Alzir
Prevention of haemoglobinopathies in Egypt – Amal El-Beshlawy
Screening programs for haemoglobinopathies – Hussein A Gezairy
Prevention of haemoglobinopathies in Saudi Arabia – Mohammad Al Shahrani

Blood transfusion: quality and safety issues – John Porter

Iron chelation: treatment with desferrioxamine and deferiprone – M D Cappellini
Deferasirox update – John Porter
Iron overload: consequences, monitoring and assessment – Ali Taher
Pathophysiology of iron overload – John Porter
Update on survival in thalassaemia – Paul Telfer

Cardiac disease in thalassaemia – John Wood
Assessment and treatment of cardiac iron overload – A Aessopos

Pathophysiology of sickle cell disease – Miguel A Abboud
Management of sickle cell disease – Adlette Inati

 

Download presentations from day 2:

Grown in thalassaemia – Ashraf T Soliman
Management of HCV and HBV infection – Ala’ Sharara

Cardiac status in thalassaemia intermedia – A Aessopos
Hydroxyurea in management of thal. intermedia – Mehran Karimi
Thrombosis in thalassaemia intermedia – Ali Taher

Stem cell transplantation – Abdullah Al Jefri
Stem cell transplantation –  Ardeshir Ghavamzadeh
Fetal globin induction in beta-thalassaemia – Amal El Beshlawy
Gene therapy – is it a reality? – F Boulad, I Riviere, M Sadelain
Requirements for a reference thalassaemia centre – Michael Angastiniotis

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