The University of Technology and Applied Sciences (UTAS), Navrongo Transthyretin (TTR) Amyloidosis Program Team, in partnership with the Navrongo Community Nursing Training College, has held a one-day rare diseases clinical awareness seminar on amyloidosis at the college.
The seminar, held on Tuesday, April 28, was on the theme, “Rare but Real: A Nursing Perspective on Recognizing and Supporting Patients with TTR Amyloidosis,” and aimed at engaging health officials and health science students.
Health science students were taken through topics including TTR Amyloidosis: A Broad Overview, Clinical Presentation and Critical Red Flags, and Differentiating Amyloidosis.
Dr. Rita Suhuyini Salifu, Principal Investigator for the UTAS Amyloidosis Project, speaking on the sidelines of the event, said TTR amyloidosis has not received sufficient research attention, making diagnosis difficult for health practitioners.
“We don’t have much work done on it because we don’t have a lot of knowledge about it. It may be misdiagnosed or go undetected because it mimics other diseases. It’s a multisystemic condition, so it may appear as a heart attack or other conditions, and that is the critical need for this project.” She said.
She noted that the seminar proved effective, with strong participation from both faculty and students. She added that students of the Navrongo Community Nursing Training College serve as frontline health workers and are often the first point of contact in communities.
“Through this collaboration and program, students are now seeing the links and learning to look out for the condition. They go out into communities and receive reports firsthand. You can’t do this without our students, so it has been a great experience.” She added.
Kanwaredogopo Rebecca, a public health student at the Navrongo Community Nursing Training College, said the seminar was impactful and had expanded her knowledge of TTR amyloidosis, a condition she previously knew little about.
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