The Psoriatic Association of Slovenia: The 1st congress for psoriatic patients was a great success

Author: Nina Pahor

The Psoriatic Association of Slovenia strives to offer the best to its members and patients with psoriasis.

That is why this year we organised the 1st congress for people with psoriasis, attended by more than 120 patients. The congress was held in a beautiful location on Brdo pri Kranju.

We were joined by top specialists, nurses who are with you in this fight against the disease and accompany you on the path of treatment and improvement. We wanted to provide you with quality and verified information about your illness. The congress was opened by the president of the Society of Psoriatics, Mr. Jan Koren, with an introductory address to all present.

Ms. Nevenka Veboten, a graduate nurse from SB Celje, shared her knowledge and experience with us, who presented us with phototherapy from the side of a nurse. It is impossible to fight psoriasis without local therapy. Mrs. Sandra Bedeković, MD, taught us how to properly apply local therapy and the importance of daily care for skin care. a nurse from the Department of Skin and Venereal Diseases, UKC Maribor.

A healthy lifestyle that includes a healthy diet and physical activity is important for all of us, especially for patients with chronic inflammatory disease. Everything about the guidelines for maintaining a healthy and vital life was presented to us by Mr. asist.dr. Aleš Ambrožič, MD, specialist in internal medicine, specialist of rheumatology from the Clinical Department of Rheumatology, UKC Ljubljana. With the years of knowledge of the disease, the method of treatment also advances. The newest treatment for psoriasis is biological drugs. We were lectured on the goals of psoriasis treatment by prof. Tomaž Lunder, MD, specialist in dermatovenerology from the Dermatological Clinic of the UKC Ljubljana.

Some of you know how psoriasis treatment was done 40 years ago, but many are unaware of how psoriasis treatment has progressed. An insight into the history of psoriasis treatment and progress in treatment was presented to us by Nataša Koser Kolar, MD, specialist in dermatovenerology from SB Celje. Since psoriasis also has associated diseases, we have devoted the topic of the next lecture to one of them. Psoriatic arthritis is an associated disease that occurs in almost 30 percent of people with psoriasis. Katja Perdan Pirkmajer, MD, specialist, lectured us on the importance of treatment and early detection of this disease. of rheumatology from the Clinical Department of Rheumatology, UKC Ljubljana.

Last, but no least important, was the lecture on the psychological side of the disease. The very diagnosis and acceptance of the disease can be a big challenge for both the patient and his family. The burden we get with a diagnosis affects our mental health. And this is exactly what we should devote ourselves to much more. The importance of the psychological side of the disease was presented to us by Ms. Sanja Roškar, MSc in Psychology, Specialist in Clinical Psychology from the Clinic for Internal Medicine, UKC Maribor.

During the break between lectures, we also had a very tasty lunch and stretched our legs around the autumn-colored estate on Brdo pri Kranju. The atmosphere at the congress was very pleasant and we believe that the attendants have acquired some new, important information about the disease and its treatment, which will make patients’ life with it easier.