This afternoon, February 29, the Central Dermatology Hospital held a ceremony to launch the book Rare Skin Diseases , on the occasion of International Rare Disease Day (February 29).

The book Rare Skin Diseases by Professor, Dr. Tran Hau Khang is a valuable medical document in the field of dermatology not only in Vietnam but also in the world.

The book collects and presents nearly 50 rare skin diseases, which are all the valuable knowledge and experience that Professor Tran Hau Khang has accumulated over more than 40 years of working.

At the book launch, sharing about rare cases during his treatment at the Central Dermatology Hospital, Professor Khang said that 40 years ago, the first rare skin disease case was patient Hoang Van D., from Ha Nam Ninh. The patient went to many places for examination for 5 years but the disease was not detected.

"When he arrived at the Central Dermatology Hospital, the patient was diagnosed with bacterial erythema all over his body. But I found the patient strange because he had an itchy spot that I had not seen in any documents. Microbiological and histopathological tests also did not find any. Later, we discovered that the patient had enlarged lymph nodes, and tests showed that cancer cells had invaded. That was the first time we discovered a rare, strange dermatological case. I was very sad because at that time the patient was already in a serious condition, with metastases all over the body," Professor Khang shared.

After the above case, he discovered two more cases in Vietnam, also a rare skin disease. These two patients were discovered early, when the disease was in stages 2 and 3, and were cured. Both are now healthy.

Many dermatological patients are misdiagnosed.

Concerned with rare diseases, Professor Khang shared: "Over the past 40 years, I have always researched and met more than 40 patients with rare skin diseases."

Among them, there was a patient who was treated for internal tuberculosis, but it was not tuberculosis. When examined, the patient had skin lesions so he was taken to the Central Dermatology Hospital for treatment and the cause of the ulcers on the skin and muscles in the body was determined. This was a patient who had been everywhere for 2 years without finding the disease.

"Therefore, when a patient has unusual symptoms, even if they are just dermatological symptoms, they should be diagnosed by a combination of specialists," Professor Khang noted.

Sharing on the sidelines of the ceremony, Associate Professor, Dr. Le Huu Doanh, Director of the Central Dermatology Hospital, said that Professor Khang's book presents a wide variety of rare skin diseases, which will contribute to better management of rare skin diseases. There are cases where the diagnosis is made and the doctor only advises the patient about lifestyle, genetics or disease prevention to avoid serious complications.

"The book helps clinicians know this group of diseases so they can detect them. In reality, many patients are misdiagnosed at many medical facilities before coming to the Central Dermatology Hospital," said Mr. Doanh.

According to the organizers, the book is also a systematic document of theoretical knowledge, comprehensive medical evidence and clinical observations described from the practice of rare disease cases discovered and published for the first time in Vietnam.