Delegate: Haykuhi Hovakimyan
Affiliation: Armenian Sleep Disorders Association, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Armenian National Institute of Health, “Somnus” Neurology Clinic, Center for Sleep and Movement Disorders; Department of Social and Clinical Psychology, Yerevan State University
Short Bio: Haykuhi Hovakimyan is a clinical psychologist specializing in somnology. She is an active member of ARSDA and with Dr. Samson Khachatryan and other team members, she participates in almost all the sleep medicine-related events doing both organizing and educational activities. This year Ms. Haykuhi Hovakimyan was the delegate from Armenia actively coordinating most of the events of ARSDA.
Dr. Samson Khachatryan is the president of ARSDA being a long-time delegate for the World Sleep Day in Armenia. With his team and colleagues, and collaborating organizations he organizes WSD activities. The main goal of these activities, events, and seminars is to make available sleep-related knowledge for general population, related specialists, other healthcare professionals, healthcare and medical educational structures, students and residents. He is also the chairman of Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Armenian National Institute of Health.
Activity: Activity: The Armenian Sleep Disorders Association (ARSDA) is the main society organizing activities to disseminate and develop knowledge about sleep science and sleep medicine in Armenia.
As in previous years, the ARSDA has implemented a series of events around World Sleep Day with the aim of raising awareness about the role and significance of sleep, and the variety and prevalence of sleep disorders, targeting doctors, paramedical specialists, and the general public.
Neuroclub meeting
On the eve of World Sleep Day, the ARSDA held a meeting with the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery of the National Institute of Armenia within the framework of the Neuroclub. Neuroclub is an academic activity implemented weekly in in-person and online modes. During the meeting clinical residents and Faculty members of the Department of Neurology present the latest scientific achievements of the field. The Neuroclub meeting on March 14 was dedicated to sleep medicine. The main topics were discussion of new guidelines for insomnia: The second year neurology resident Dr. Elza Balian introduced overall insomnia and its diagnostic criteria, after which she presented the pharmacological treatment of Insomnia. Haykuhi Hovakimyan, a faculty member and a clinical psychologist, presented non-pharmacological treatment of insomnia accentuating cognitive behavioral treatment of Insomnia. Another faculty member neurologist Dr. Lina Zubalova presented about the relationship of sleep apnea and stroke. The meeting ended with the presentation of clinical cases by residents (Elza Balian, Narine Nadryan). Neurology residents, doctors with different specializations, and medical students joined this meeting.
Radio Interviews
We tried to reach also to general population. For this purpose, the president of ARSDA Dr Samson Khachatryan, and ARSDA member, clinical psychologist Haykuhi Hovakimyan were interviewed on topics of sleep and its disorders, World Sleep Day 2024.
March 11: Radio Interview
On March 11 Haykuhi Hovakimyan had an interview, where she talked about the essentials of sleep, sleep hygiene, main sleep disorders, pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment of sleep disorders, and the overall situation with sleep medicine in Armenia.
March 15: Live Interview
Public Radio of Armenia hosted Dr. Samson Khachatryan and Haykuhi Hovakimyan for an interview during which they together covered the main topics of sleep medicine starting with the meaning and concept of World Sleep Day.
March 16: “Narcolepsy and other central hypersomnia’s”. Seminar
On the occasion of World Sleep Day (March 15), The ARSDA, together with the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery of the National Institute of Health of the Armenian Ministry of Health and the “Somnus” neurological clinic, organized a CME-accredited seminar this time targeting narcolepsy and other central hypersomnia’s as an underrepresented topic in sleep disorders. It was titled “Narcolepsy and other central hypersomnia’s”. We had a guest lecturer from Germany, Prof. Dr. med. Peter Young, Director of the Medical Park Bad Feilnbach Reithofpark Rehabilitation Center, presented narcolepsy in a comprehensive general overview.
Then our Armenian colleagues talked about other hypersomnia’s of central origin and psychiatric comorbidities of narcolepsy. There also were presentations of clinical cases by neurology residents and faculty members. We had more than 100 participants with different medical and paramedical specializations.
March 22. “From Early Detection to End of Life: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Alzheimer’s Disease.” Seminar
Alzheimer’s Care Armenia, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, organized a seminar titled “From Early Detection to End of Life: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Alzheimer’s Disease.” This significant event took place at the National Institute of Health on March 22. ARSDA president Dr Samson Khachatryan talked about sleep and its relation to cognitive function and dementias, more specifically Alzheimer’s Disease.
Meeting with the Minister of Health
Within the framework of the World Sleep Day 2024 (March 15) activities, the President of ARSDA, Neurology Consultant of the Armenian Ministry of Health (MOH), Dr. Samson Khachatryan met the Armenian Minister of Health, Mrs. Anahit Avanesyan.
During the meeting, the current situation in the field of sleep medicine in Armenia, various accumulated organizational problems, and the possibilities of cooperation with MOH around them, the proposed programs aimed at the development of sleep medicine in Armenia were discussed with the Armenia Minister of Health.
Dr. Samson Khachatryan presented the current problems in the field of sleep medicine in Armenia, emphasizing a number of important directions.
The problem of the lack of some important drugs for the treatment of sleep disorders in Armenia was raised. Opportunities to ensure the availability of stimulant/wakefulness-promoting drugs, especially for the treatment of narcolepsy.
Questions aimed at clarifying the specialization of sleep medicine were discussed, as well as questions about the implementation of standardized procedures for instrumental sleep research and treatment methods.
There was also a reference to the programs aimed at preventing car accidents caused by sleeping at the wheel. Falling asleep at the wheel and the resulting injuries and casualties are of great importance in many countries, and the goal is to give a boost to the importance of this problem in Armenia, as well, of course, with the support of the Ministry of Health.
Overall, this meeting set the grounds for a very promising future of sleep medicine in Armenia.
Location: Yerevan
Date of Activity: 14-22.03.2024
Submitted by: Haykuhi Hovakimyan, Samson Khachatryan
