16th Latvian Conference on Rare Diseases will take place at RSU

To raise awareness about diagnosing and treating rare diseases in Latvia, as well as to discuss challenges that specialists in the field face, Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) and the Latvian Association of Rare Disease Specialists (RSSA) are organising the 16th Conference on Rare Diseases. The conference will take place on 19 April at RSU and will also be streamed online. Healthcare professionals, residents, medical students, and representatives of patient associations from all fields are invited to participate in the conference. 

The Conference on Rare Diseases is organised to raise awareness about the latest developments in diagnosing and treating rare diseases. Visitors to the conference will be educated not only on various clinical and scientific cases of rare diseases, but will also be invited to discuss future challenges affecting the field. There is a demand among professionals for an effective and appropriate treatment policy to address acute problems, like the shortage of reimbursable medicines, which limits treatment options for patients. More than 1,600 participants attended the previous Conference on Rare Diseases in the autumn.

The topics that have been discussed at previous conferences and field experts’ interest in subjects like endocrinology, dermatology, gastroenterology, and other medical disciplines are considered when planning the conference and identifying topics. 

‘As the number of rare diseases and patients in Latvia increases every year, the knowledge and competence of medical staff in how to recognise and treat rare diseases must be promoted.

Over the last five to ten years, the treatment of rare diseases and patients’ options have grown significantly. Our responsibility as professionals in this forum is to exchange knowledge and share the latest research, thus working to ensure that every rare disease patient is, firstly, diagnosed and, secondly, treated appropriately. It is true that how effective a certain treatment is, is not always in the hands of doctors alone. It is closely intertwined with state support to provide the necessary resources to ensure the quality of life of patients,’ explains RSU Vice-Rector Assoc. Prof. Andris Skride.

Assoc. Prof. Skride adds that a lack of funding for reimbursable medicines has recently become a critical issue among rare disease specialists and patients. The sector sees it as necessary to regularly update these issues so that the estimates of various treatments as well as the types of different treatments needed for these patients are known.

RSSA was established to support and promote clinical and scientific research, to develop treatment options, and to educate on rare diseases. The conference also supports and promotes medical students’, residents’, doctors’, paramedical staff, and the public’s education in the field of rare diseases.