Concurrent with the upcoming pediatrics conference in October, a screening system for diseases will be unveiled at the Children’s Medical Center in Tehran.
The system is capable of diagnosing 62 metabolic illnesses in children through blood tests.
Screening will be carried out under a pilot scheme initially but the Health Ministry’s goal is to expand the program nationwide, Salamatnews.ir reported.
The 29th pediatrics conference will be held October 26-29 at the center in cooperation with pediatrics department of Iran University of Medical Sciences, Research Center for Children’s Development and the Pediatric Endocrine and Metabolism Society.
Improving and upgrading the scientific quality of infant screening is the aim of the annual event.
Dr. Ali Rabbani, conference organizer and professor at the Children’s Medical Center, said 10 major topics in the various fields of pediatrics will be the focus of the meet.
“Cystic fibrosis (CF) will be a key subject of discussion due to its high prevalence in Iran,” he said, adding that foreign experts will participate in this section.
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), diabetes in children, pediatric radiology and child metabolic disorders will be other issues to be debated.
In 2008, in response to the initiatives of the Health Ministry in its efforts to promote excellence in the field of pediatric medicine, the Children’s Medical Center was established.
The center is committed to the improvement of health and wellbeing of all infants and children in the country by designing national research programs and promoting education for enhancing knowledge and skills of Iranian pediatricians.
Its priorities are also to enhance academic collaboration and research, develop new subspecialties in pediatrics, and increase cooperation in international scientific activities.
Genetic Disorders
“Programs on child growth and development and prevention of genetic disorders will be organized by the Health Ministry and the Iranian Genetic Society respectively, as part of the screening process,” said Rabbani.
While cold and infectious diseases are the most common conditions among children, genetic disorders and metabolic diseases such as diabetes and CF are of greater concern due to their difficult and costly treatment.
“Through screening, such diseases can be diagnosed in the early stages before symptoms appear,” he said, adding that early treatment can help reduce the burden on the health system.
More information and registration for the conference is available at its website www.iranped.ir or the @pedcong at Telegram.
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