Abottabad: Abbottonians Medical Association® Center for Blood Diseases, Abbottabad International Medical Institute, has taken an initiative to provide comprehensive Medical & Dental examination facility and planned one day “Thalassaemia Clinic” on 6th August, 2022.
Thalassaemia is a group of inherited conditions that affect a substance in the blood called haemoglobin. Patients with thalassaemia produce either no or too little haemoglobin, which is used by red blood cells to carry oxygen around the body. The signs and symptoms of thalassemia major include tiredness, fatigue, pallor, shortness of breath, generalized body aches, bone deformities, especially in the face, delayed growth and development and later, enlargement of spleen and liver.
Dental issues include expansion of facial bones leading to frontal bossing, malar prominence and saddle nose. In addition to skeletal issues, yellow discoloration of teeth, prevalence of caries and periodontal issues, odontogenic infections and complications related to use of Bisphosphonates are quite common. Invasive procedures in these patients can lead to complications related to bleeding & delayed healing so preventive maintenance therapy should be considered to reduce the burden of oral diseases in this population.
A panel of experts performed thorough medical & dental examination of each patient and maintained the record on specially designed pro formas. The panel included following: -
1. Dr Muhammad Idris, Consultant Medical Specialist & Consultant Clinical Hematologist
2. Dr Noaman Siddiqui, Director, Medical Education & Secretary General, Abbottonians Medical Association ®.
3. Dr Samia Shad, Consultant Maxillofacial Surgeon & Principal Abbottabad Intl. Dental College
4. Dr Adnan Khan, Consultant Pediatrician, Abbottabad Medical Complex,
Patients needing further consultation and investigations were referred to different consultants of various specialties for opinion and further management. Students from Medical & Dental College actively participated in the activity which helped to improve their knowledge regarding medical & dental issues of Thalassemic patients and enhanced their examination skills.
Members of Thalassaemia Patients & Parents Society played instrumental role in organizing this Clinic. At the end of the activity, goody packs containing eatables and oral hygiene kits were distributed among all the patients. Oral hygiene instructions and procedures were explained on models to teach them accurate method of hygiene maintenance.
