Arab Society for Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes (ASPED) Masterclass in Pediatric Bone Disease 2nd November 2018, Dubai, United Arab Emirates| Biomed Grid

The Arab society of Pediatric Endocrinology and diabetes held a masterclass for pediatric bone diseases in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) in collaboration of Kyowa Kirin. This 1-day event was run within the framework of the ASPED School and was attended by 76 delegates and 14 faculty. Plenary lectures and. patient case reports were presented. The talks covered all aspects related to rickets and highlighted that nutritional vitamin D deficiencies are relatively common. This is the case despite the availability of proper nutrition and the adequate level of sun light. It was emphasized that is it vital to establish a diagnosis considering potential underlying genetic abnormalities or comorbidities which may mask initial laboratory assessments and potentially lead to an unsuitable treatment choice. Considering a less common genetic form of rickets is important in the region owing to the high frequency of consanguinity. It has been pointed out that even when a correct diagnosis and initial management is selected, it is essential to follow up patients regularly and adjust their treatment to match their needs during different growth phases. Overall, the 14 regional and international speakers discussed nutritional and hereditary rickets, disorders of phosphate homeostasis, management of hypophosphataemic rickets and skeletal disorders beyond rickets. Lively discussions around all presented topics dominated the day, with an interest in new treatments, including burosumab as a novel fully human anti-FGF23 monoclonal antibody therapy. Burosumab has demonstrated effective inhibition of the FGF23-mediated pathway and has received approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of adults and children with X-linked hypophosphataemia (XLH). Preliminary experience in the region of its use has been presented