Press Release: Athens Medical Group: The 16th Annual Pediatric Conference was held with great success – 700 pediatricians attended
PRESS RELEASE | Athens Medical Group: The 16th Annual Pediatric Conference was held with great success – 700 pediatricians attended
Under the title “Pediatrics in Practice”, the 16th Annual Conference of the Athens Pediatric Center of the Athens Medical Group was held on October 14-15, 2023. This scientific meeting was attended in person and online by a large number of pediatricians, more than 700. It is important to note that with today’s technological capabilities, pediatricians from all over Greece are also attending in real time.
Professor of Pediatrics Andreas Fretzagias, scientific director of the Conference, developed in introductory presentations the topic of immunological coexistence and cooperation between mother and fetus and informed about the latest advances in the field of vaccines, focusing on the new vaccines that will be administered during pregnancy to protect the newborn-infant after birth.
Professor of Pediatrics, Andreas Fretzagias.
Current news regarding streptococcal infections, the diagnostic criteria for inflammatory syndrome after COVID infection and instructions for safe sleep were presented respectively by Pediatrics Supervisors Panagiota Haikali, Krystallia Valsamidis and Victoria Gouma.
Of particular interest was the pediatric surgery session in which daily surgical problems that mimic common entities such as appendicitis, ovarian cysts and anatomical problems of the intestine were analyzed, with a diagnostic focus. This session was attended by Pediatric surgeons Marios Maragakis, Nikolaos Baltogiannis and Fotini Fili.
In a separate session, Pediatric endocrinologists Dimitris Papadimitriou, Aristotle Panagiotopoulos and Jessica Arditi presented the possibilities of preventing Type I Diabetes with vitamin D, the investigation that should be carried out in children with short stature and in adolescents who present with a thyroid gland bronchocele.
The invited speaker of the conference was Professor of Pulmonology Panagiotis Behrakis, head of the anti-smoking campaign in Greece and the European Union, presenting the damage caused by electronic smoking (vaping) to the lungs of adolescents.
From left: Professor of Pulmonology Panagiotis Behrakis and Professor of Pediatrics, Andreas Fretzagias.
In separate diagnostic sessions, the topics of functional urination disorders and gluten sensitivity were developed, respectively by Professor of Pediatrics – Pediatric Nephrology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Stella Stampouli and the gastroenterologist of the Athens Pediatric Center Despina Tsita, who was trained for a long time in Sweden.
The field of Pediatric Pulmonology was covered by Professors Konstantinos Priftis and Konstantinos Douros, who referred to pulmonary disease of prematurity and persistent microbial bronchitis respectively. In the same session, Pediatric Pulmonologist of the Athens Pediatric Center Anastasia Filiou commented exemplarily on school-age asthma, a field she has cultivated during her long education in Sweden.
There were particularly interesting separate sessions with experts who covered vision problems related to electronic multimedia by Chrysavgi Adamopoulou, arthritis by Roumbini Smerla, skull formation disorders by Pediatric Neurosurgeon Panagiotis Kokkalis, amenorrhea in adolescents by Pediatrician – Pediatric Endocrinologist Eleni Dermitzakis and dysmenorrhea by Assistant Professor Gynecologist of Adolescent Gynecology Panagiotis Christopoulos, lameness in walking due to neurological causes and recognition of neurocutaneous syndromes by Pediatric Neurologists Lambros Kousoulos and Maria Spanou respectively.
In the separate session on hematological and oncological problems, Pediatrician – Hematologist Stavroula Kostaridou spoke about iron deficiency problems and Pediatrician – Hematologist – Oncologist Anastasia Stasinopoulou about the evolutionary symptoms of brain tumors.
During the conference, the pharmaceutical company VIANEX organized a satellite speech about the vaccine that covers 4 bacteria that all cause purulent meningitis, with the speaker being Assistant Director of the Second Pediatric Clinic of the Athens Pediatric Center, Margarita Markouri.
