The Center for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Rare Diseases in Pediatric and Adult Nephrology at MUW consists of three departments: Department of Pediatrics and Nephrology, UCC MUW, Department of Transplantology, Immunology, Nephrology and Internal Diseases, UCC MUW and Department of Nephrology, Dialysis and Internal Diseases, UCC MUW.
– The conference was prepared thanks to the commitment of our departments and the unwavering willingness to cooperate between pediatric nephrologists who put their patients under the care of adult nephrologists and adult nephrologists who hand over their patients' children to pediatric nephrologists. Shared knowledge connects and allows for continuous development for the benefit of our patients – Prof. Małgorzata Mizerska-Wasiak, head of the Department of Pediatrics and Nephrology at UCC MUW, the chairperson of the organizing committee said at the beginning on the conference.
– A multidisciplinary conference combining the experience of pediatric and adult nephrology shows that we are part of a great system – the University Clinical Center of the Medical University of Warsaw is the only place in Poland where you can treat from newborns to elderly patients, and good cooperation between departments gives a new quality of care to our patients, especially those with complex diseases – said Michał Buczyński, MD PhD, the Deputy Director for Treatment at the Pediatric Teaching Clinical Hospital of the UCC MUW.
The most important topics
The first session was devoted to the diagnosis of rare diseases in nephrology. The session was opened by Prof. Rafał Płoski of the Department of Medical Genetics MUW with a lecture "Genetic research of the 21st century". The session also featured Dr Dorota Czapczak from the Genetics Laboratory of the University Center for Laboratory Medicine and the Laboratory of Rare Diseases of the MUW, who talked about the spectrum of mutations in Alport syndrome and Prof. Agnieszka Perkowska-Ptasińska from the Department of Pathomorphology MUW with a lecture on glomerulopathy in the course of disorders in the complement system. The session ended with a discussion with experts on the importance and need of genetic diagnostics in patients with kidney disease.
– My experience, which I acquired while cooperating with you and other nephrological centers in Poland, shows that it is necessary to aggressively look for multifactorial genetic alterations in kidney diseases – emphasized Prof. Rafał Płoski during the discussion. He also added: – In my opinion, patients in the most severe condition may even have two or three genetic alterations.
– Genetic tests should be part of the diagnosis of chronic nephropathies because the microscope is helpless in many patients, unable to differentiate them – noted Prof. Agnieszka Perkowska-Ptasińska. – In addition, it is very important to take care of the families of those who have a genetic predisposition. Without this genetic background, we will not be able to find such patients.
The next part of the conference was devoted to glomerulopathies. It included, for example, progress in the treatment of IgA nephropathy, MCD in adults or sarcoidosis. This part was moderated by: Prof. Jolanta Małyszko, Head of the Department of Nephrology, Dialysis and Internal Diseases at UCC MUW and Prof. Krzysztof Mucha, Head of the Department of Transplantology, Immunology, Nephrology and Internal Diseases at UCC MUW.
The last session focused on tubulopathies, podocytopathies, and other rare kidney diseases. The session included topics such as renal replacement therapy in rare diseases, similarities and differences in Fabry disease and Alport syndrome, as well as hypophosphatemic rickets. The session was moderated by: Małgorzata Pańczyk-Tomaszewska, MD PhD, from the Department of Pediatrics and Nephrology at MUW and Prof. Bartosz Foroncewicz from the Department of Transplantology, Immunology, Nephrology and Internal Diseases at MUW. The second and third sessions also ended with debates with the participation of speakers.
Prominent experts
Apart from the abovementioned speakers, the following experts also participated in the symposium:
- from the Department of Pediatrics and Nephrology at MUW: Prof. Małgorzata Mizerska-Wasiak, Piotr Skrzypczyk, MD PhD, Dr Agnieszka Szmigielska, Dr Anna Deja, Dr Karolina Cichoń-Kawa, Dr Maria Daniel, Dr Beata Leszczyńska, Dr Anna Wabik, Dr Adam Bujanowicz;
- from the Department of Transplantology, Immunology, Nephrology and Internal Diseases at MUW: Prof. Krzysztof Mucha, Prof. Bartosz Foroncewicz, Michał Ciszek, MD PhD, Teresa Bączkowska, MD PhD, Dr Agnieszka Furmańczyk-Zawiska;
- from the Department of Nephrology, Dialysis and Internal Diseases at MUW: Dr Filip Wantoch-Rekowski, Longin Niemczyk, MD PhD, Dr Maria Kaszyńska, Aleksandra Rymarz, MD PhD;
- as well as Dr. Michał Buczyński from the Department of Heart, Thoracic and Transplant Surgery at MUW, who spoke about grafts in the treatment of FMD in children;
- Dr Izabella Kuźmiuk-Glembin from the Department of Nephrology, Transplantology and Internal Diseases at UCC in Gdańsk;
- Dr Alicja Byrka-Lopez.
The conference was held under the auspices of the Center of Excellence for Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases at MUW and the Rector of MUW.
