title: Selected highlights of the VIII International Symposium of Clinicians for Endocrinopathies in Thalassemia and Adolescent Medicine (ICET-A) on Growth, Puberty and Endocrine Complications in Thalassaemia. Auditorium of the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) Muscat (Sultanate of Oman), 20th of December 2014.
abstract: The VIII ICET-A International Symposium was held in Muscat (Sultanate of Oman) on the 20th of December, 2014. The symposium included four sessions on a wide range of topics covering growth disorders and endocrine complications in thalassaemia. Despite the fact that endocrine complications are very common in multi-transfused thalassaemia patients a recent survey conducted by the International Network of Clinicians for Endocrinopathies in Thalassemia and Adolescent Medicine (ICET-A) in 2014 in Acitrezza (Catania, Italy) showed that the major difficulties reported by hematologists or pediatricians experienced in thalassaemias or thalassaemia syndromes in following endocrine complications included: Lack of familiarity with medical treatment of endocrine complications, interpretation of endocrine tests, lack of collaboration and on-time consultation between thalassaemic centres supervised by haematologists and endocrinologists. Endocrine monitoring of growth, pubertal development, reproductive ability and endocrine function in general are essential to achieve a good quality of life as well as controlling the pain which results from the defects of bone structure, all of which increase with the age of patients. Such comprehensive care is best provided by coordinated, multidisciplinary teams working in expert centres. The multidisciplinary team must include an endocrinologist, preferably someone experienced in the management of hormonal deficiencies caused early in life by transfusion-induced iron overload.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: De Sanctis
authors.forename: Ashraf T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Soliman
authors.forename: Yasser
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wali
authors.forename: Heba
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Elsedfy
authors.forename: Shahina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Daar
authors.forename: Saif A H
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Al-Yaarubi
authors.forename: Surekha Tony
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Mevada
authors.forename: Surekha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tony
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elshinawy
authors.forename: Hanan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fawzy
authors.forename: Taimoora
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Al-Subhi
authors.forename: Abulhakim
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Rawas
authors.forename: Muhanna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Muslehi
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: El Kholy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D041923:Adolescent Development; D000295:Adolescent Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends; D002648:Child; D004700:Endocrine System Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D009850:Oman; D011627:Puberty / Q000502:physiology*; D013789:Thalassemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D014495:Universities