In November 1998, an `Update Seminar in Nephrology and Hypertension' was held in Bratislava, the capital of the Slovak Republic. The event was organized by the Slovak Society of Nephrology, the Slovak Medical Association, the Kuratorium of the Gesellschaft für Nephrologie and the Joint Action Nephrology Central and Eastern Europe. The 112 participants (mainly nephrologists and internists) came from all parts of Slovakia (95), from Germany (12), Poland (4) and Austria (1).
At the beginning Professor Rastislav Dzurik reported on the current situation of clinical nephrology in the Slovak Republic. According to his description the possibilities of renal replacement therapy by dialysis were insufficient until 1989. After the political changes the situation improved strikingly. The number of dialysis centres increased more than fivefold. In 1998 there were 49 haemodialysis units treating 1772 patients (328 per million inhabitants) and 120 patients by peritoneal dialysis. In 1998 a total of 148 kidney transplantations (27.4 per million inhabitants) were performed in the centres of Bratislava, Banska Bystrica and Kosice. The National Center for Organ Transplantation is working in the Institute of Clinical and Preventive Medicine in Bratislava. Concerning the status of academic nephrology within universities clinical nephrology is an independent unit only at the Safarik University in Kosice, while at the Commenius University nephrology is a dependent unit, and part of internal medicine at both Medical Faculties in Bratislava and Martin. Clinical and experimental research is performed notably in the medical schools and in particular at the Institute of Preventive and Clinical Medicine in Bratislava. The programmes are focused on methods of early diagnosis and prevention of progressive renal diseases.
The seminar included four presentations from Slovakia: Molecular genetics of renal tubular disorders (L. Kovacs), Metabolic acidosis in renal failure (V. Spustova), Mitochondrial nephropathies (R. Dzurik) and Metabolism of vitamin B6 in renal patients (M. Mydlik).
Members of the Gesellschaft für Nephrologie and the Joint Action Nephrology gave the following lectures: Renal actions of diuretics (R. F. Greger), Role of G-protein polymorphism in obesity, hypertension and cardiovascular disease (W. Siffert), Blood pressure and progression of chronic renal failure (E. Ritz), Cardiovascular changes in chronic renal failure (K. Amann), Rapid progressive glomerulonephritis (K. Kühn), Update in diabetic nephropathy (A. Heidland), Impact of inflammation in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease in chronic renal failure (C. Wanner), Advanced glycation endproducts in endstage renal failure (R. Schinzel), Role of leptin and neuropeptide Y in anorexia and catabolism in renal failure (F. Kokot), Adequacy of haemodialysis (J. Bommer), and Acute renal failure (W. Druml).
At the end of the seminar an industrial workshop dealt with Role of biocompatibility and ultrapure dialysis fluid (J. Vienken, FMC), Chronic peritoneal dialysis (A. Schilling, FMC) and Requirements for modern dialysis membranes (C. Meißner, Membrana).
Each lecture was followed by a lively discussion with the experts in the field. Together with the enjoyable social programme a friendly and productive atmosphere was created. Thus this seminar was a successful event and contributed markedly to the creation of new or improved connections between the nephrologists of central and eastern Europe.
|