Learning to read the clues
New Annual Meeting session will examine genodermatoses-related disorders in children and adults.

U069 – What’s New in Genetic Skin Disease?
8-9 a.m. | Sunday, March 9
Room W304A
Myriad patient outcomes result from the challenge of diagnosing and treating a wide range of genodermatoses-related disorders in children and adults. Spotting the signs is important in overcoming and treating this common challenge.
In U069 – What’s New in Genetic Skin Disease?, Nessa Aghazadeh Mohandesi, MD, FAAD, will share her expertise in recognizing genetic skin diseases in both populations, while offering tools and insights for clinical practice. Dr. Mohandesi, who is a pediatric dermatologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, will lead this new session.
“There are several factors that should raise suspicion in clinical practice. For one, a family history of skin-related conditions is often the first clue,” said Dr. Mohandesi. “Although common, this is not a universal finding, as a person might have a new or de novo variant, depending on the particular disease.”
Other important clues include the presence of chronic, difficult-to-treat skin manifestations and monogenic or “syndromic” forms of common inflammatory diseases, Dr. Mohandesi said.
“We typically think of genetic skin diseases as having an early or childhood onset,” she said. “[However], a significant portion of these conditions are diagnosed in adulthood, as many genetic disorders don’t show symptoms until much later in life.”
Dr. Mohandesi said this session is designed for a general dermatology audience and will provide attendees with real-world examples of children and adults. It will also underscore the importance of pinpointing the exact genetic cause of a condition to clarify the diagnoses and pave the way for transformative, life-changing treatments.
Dr. Mohandesi will be joined by Jonathan A. Dyer, MD, FAAD, a professor of dermatology at the University of Missouri School of Medicine in Columbia.