Specialized Clinic at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City helps all children suffering from genetic skin conditions by providing optimized multidisciplinary services

Abu Dhabi, 24, Feb 2022:  Children suffering from a rare and painful genetic skin disorder are now receiving all needful care and treatment under one umbrella at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City’s (SKMC) specialized Epidermolysis Bullosa Clinic (EB-Clinic).
This clinic was established by Dr. Shaden Abdelhadi, a Europe, UK, and the USA trained Emirati Consultant in Pediatric, Adolescent and Adult Dermatology, and Human Medical Genetics. EB-Clinic is located at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, a leading facility of Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) and offers the full spectrum of world-class management for Epidermolysis Bullosa patients. 

Epidermolysis bullosa is a severe skin disease with multiorgan complications that impacts patients’ quality of life, daily activities, and mobility making visits to the hospital and various specialists a challenge. Characterized by severe itching and painful blisters all over the body, the condition poses a substantial psychological burden on patients and their families.

SKMC’s EB-clinic combines the expertise of Pediatric and Dermatology Units and offers much-needed convenience for patients of all ages living with Epidermolysis Bullosa. It offers several services and sub-specialties assessment in a single hospital visit. 

“These children are already dealing with so much severe pain, and they shouldn’t have to bear more to get treated. We provide a multidisciplinary approach including state-of-the-art genetic testing and counseling, pediatric dermatology and wound care, general pediatrics, ophthalmology, dentistry, gastroenterology, pain management, dietetics, and physiotherapy, all under one umbrella, improving the quality of life of these patients and holding their hands through their difficult lives” said Dr. Shaden Abdelhadi who brought both Pediatric Dermatology and Genetic Skin Diseases Clinics to SEHA system in 2019 and is a Lead Physician of this clinic at SKMC. 

“Genetic screening and counseling are vital in avoiding the risk of reoccurrence of Epidermolysis Bullosa in the future generations,” said Dr. Abdelhadi. “Due to a lack of awareness of their own and the family genetic status, parents harboring affected genes could pass on the disease to their offspring.”
As children suffering from Epidermolysis Bullosa and other genetic skin conditions are highly susceptible to infections, SKMC’s team includes specialized wound nurses who are on hand to spot and co-manage such disorders quickly. The Epidermolysis Bullosa Clinic and Genetic Dermatology Unit maintain an international-level standard of care and cooperate closely with unique facilities in Europe and America. It also offers focused hands-on training for homecare nurses, caregivers, and family members. 

Dr. Abdelhadi said: “Thanks to the support of SEHA and UAE Health Authorities, we provide world-class genetic diagnostic and clinical management of the disease utilizing the latest scientific knowledge with access to the most advanced materials often unavailable in Western countries. The clinic attracts patients from all over the UAE and abroad, and having a unique status is now open to patients from all insurance plans.”