The Chair of Skin and Venereal Diseases was organized as a part of medical faculty of BSU in 1923 Mrangovius William Julianovich was a first head of the Chair(1923-1931). Later the department was headed by: MD, PhD, academician Prakapchuk Andrey Yakaulevich (1931 - 1970), MD, PhD, professor Sasnousky Aliaxandr Timafeevich (1970-1986), MD, PhD , Professor Nikolay Zahkaravich Yagoudik (1986-1997), MD, PhD, Associate Professor Valentin Gavrilovich Pankratau (1997-2007), Associate Professor Nikolay Dmitrievich Khilkevich (2007-2012). MD, PhD Prof. Lukyanov Alexander M. (2012-2017). Now the Department is headed by MD, PhD, Associate Professor Muzyzenka Hanna Paulauna (since 2017) Other employees were: associate professors Pevzner E.S., Yablenik B.S., Bogdanovich I.I., Dylo V.P., Fedorova L.G., Homich F.A., Eremenko S.A., assistants Entin N.Ya, Gilevskaya V.F., Komov O.P., Kladnitskaya T.L., Korsun V.F., Lisitsin N.A., Duba V.M., Sitkevich A.E., Zelyutkin V.P., Komissarov S.I., Fedorovich E.I., etc.
During the years the department was engaged in teaching students and interns, training residents, conducting research and therapeutic and consultative work.
Prof. V.Y. Mrangovius and Academician A.Y. Prakapchuk and team took a part in the creation of a network of dermatovenereological institutions.
The staff of the Chair took an active part to restore consequences of the World War II, that which allowed to decrease of incidence of dermatophytes, and scabies in the Belarus. For many years the department has been studying epidemiology and analyzing the contingent of patients with venereal, occupational and contagious skin diseases, as well as revealing social and hygienic factors which influence their spread. This allowed offering a number of organizational and to make a guidelines aimed at preventing the growth of the disease. (Prakapchuk A.Y., Mrangovius V.Y., Sasnousky A.T., Komov O.N., Fedorova L.G., Klodnitskaya T.L., Yagovdik N.Z., Pankratau V.G., Naurotsky A.L. et al.)
Studies were performed on the morphology of inflammation caused by the action of physicochemical irritants (Prakapchuk A.Y.), on the establishment of skin morphostructure in psoriasis (Fedorova L.G.), and radiation dermatitis (Sasnousky A.T.); on the study of the electron microscopic structure of normal human skin (Prakapchuk A.Y, Yuvchenko A.I.), skin in radiation dermatitis (Sasnousky A.T.), as well as pathogens of pyoderma, gonorrhea, trichophyton and microsporum, chlamydia (Prakapchuk A.Y., Sasnousky A.T., Smolsky P.F., Khilkevich N.D. and others).
Studies by Prakapchuk A.Ya., Gilevskaya V.F., Korsun V.F., Belugina I.N., Yagovdik N.Z, N.K. Kasprovich determined the presence of visceral pathology (liver, gastrointestinal tract, pancreas) and functional disorders of CNS and vegetative nervous system in a considerable part of patients and confirmed their role in the pathogenesis of eczema, neurodermatitis, psoriasis, lupus erythematosus, which justified the necessity of prescribing sedatives, tranquilizers, hypnosis and psychotherapy for this group of patients.
For many years the work has been carried out identifying the role of metabolic processes in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, lupus erythematosus, skin tuberculosis, eczema, radiation dermatitis. This work found violations of protein, carbohydrate, lipid and water-mineral metabolism and recommendations for their correction were offered (Prakapchuk A.Y, Yablenik B.S., Pevzner E.S., Entin N.Y., Sasnousky A.T., Lisitsin N.A., Yagovdik N.Z., Pilkevich R.N., Korsun V.F.).
This department was one of the first in the USSR to start studying the problem of microelements in dermatovenereology by examining their content (Co, Ni, Cu, Zn etc.) in normal skin, in blood of eczema patients, in blood and skin of psoriasis and radiation dermatitis patients (Sasnousky A.T., Yagovdik N.Z.). Interesting data on lipid peroxidation disorders in eczema and syphilis patients were obtained (Lukyanau A.M., Barabanau A.L.).
Using radioimmune method, we investigated and found an increase in thyroid gland function in eczema patients (Kachuk M.V.) and the multidirectional nature of shifts in pituitary-gonadal system function in psoriasis patients (Yagovdik N.Z, Belugina I.N.) and gonorrhea patients (Evseenko I.A.), inhibition of glucocorticoid function of the adrenal cortex in psoriasis patients (Yagovdik N.Z., Belugina I.N.). Lithium carbonate has been suggested for the correction of thyroid gland function, and for the correction of adrenal cortex function - etimizole and glyceram in combination with inductothermy on the lumbar region.
We performed a great work on immunity research in patients with psoriasis (Belugina I.N.), eczema (Barabanau A.L.), syphilis (Pankratau V.G., Lukyanov A.M.), which established inhibition of cellular and activation of humoral chains, change of TNF-2 blood levels in psoriasis and IL-1,2,3,4,6 in blood and cerebrospinal fluid of neurosyphilis patients and substantiated inclusion of immunocorrectors in complex therapy of these diseases.
Much attention was paid to the study of clinical manifestation of psoriasis (Belugina I.N.), vesicles and During's dermatosis (Yagovdik N.Z., Zelyutkin A.M.), syphilis (Pankratau V.G., Lukyanau A.M.), gonorrhea (Fedorova L.G., Evseenko I.A, N.D. Khilkevich) other STIs (N.D. Khilkevich), pyodermas (A.T. Sasnousky), occupational dermatoses (I.I. Bogdanovich, V.M. Duba, S.A. Eremenko) alopecia (M.V. Kachuk), vitiligo (A.E. Sitkevich), scabies and microsporum (A.L. Naurotsky, V.G. Pankratau). This studies were helpful in developing of recommendations were developed; they made it possible to improve the quality and time of diagnosis and to improve the therapy.
A number of rarely encountered dermatoses were diagnosed and described: Dego's disease, Milroy-Mage trophiedema, sporodic pellagra, facial granuloma gangrenous, bullous form of scleroatrophic lichen, syringoma, etc. It has been experimentally established that brain trauma, steroid hormones, infections increase the permeability of the blood-brain histohematous barrier and are one of the causal factors of the malignant course of syphilis and lesions of the nervous system.
Department has always been actively involved in work to improve the quality of clinical and laboratory diagnosis of syphilis, gonorrhea, STIs, occupational dermatosis, dermatophytosis, parasitic and other skin pathology (Prakapchuk A.Y., Dylo P.V., Khilkevich ND, Pankratau VG, Lukyanau AM, Naurotsky AL and others) and did much to implement modern methods of diagnosis and treatment.
Employees of the department made a great contribution to the development of treatment of skin and venereal diseases. Academician Prakapchuk A.Y. (1939-1940) suggested acrychin for treatment of lupus erythematosus, developed the scheme of treatment and gave clinical and laboratory estimation of effectiveness of the method which gained worldwide recognition.
Employees of the department were the initiators of introduction in the treatment of chronic dermatoses phytomedications, which are now widely used in dermatology and venereology (Korsun V.F., Sitkevich A.E.), the use of low-energy lasers in the treatment of eczema and neurodermatitis (Dubya V.M.).
The department proposed and clinically tested with good results methods of treatment of lichen planus, neurodermatitis with artificial radioisotopes (phosphorus, cobalt, indium, Prakapchuk A.Y., Gilevskaya V.F.), psoriasis using FDE inhibitors (Yagovdik N.Z.), atopic dermatitis using lithium carbonate (Kachuk M. V.), plasiopheresis and specific hemosorption (Poplavskaya N.B.), eczema using microdez preparation (Barabanau A.L.), tuberculous lupus with vitamin 'D2' (Pevzner E.S.), treatment of chronic pyoderma using antistaphylococcal immunoglobulin (Sasnousky A.T.), vitiligo using dopegit (Sitkevich A.E.).
Antiseptic agents for treatment of skin damages and protective pastes for prevention of occupational dermatoses in workers of metal-working and machine-building industries were suggested (Pevzner E.S., Kasperovich N.K.).
The efficacy of hygiene and spa treatment of psoriasis, neurodermatitis, eczema, and lichen (A.T. Sasnousky) was evaluated.
The chair has given clinical opinion on the therapeutic efficacy of penicillin produced by Minsk Penicillin Plant in the treatment of patients with syphilis and gonorrhea by this drug (Prakapchuk A.Y., Dylo P.V.). The staff of the department carried out huge work on substantiation of using arsenic and bismuth drugs in syphilis therapy and confirmed, using a large clinical cases, high therapeutic efficiency of permanent method of syphilis treatment only with penicillin.
Over the past 20 years, the department improved in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of chronic dermatosis and venereal diseases. Based on the analysis of venereal diseases and study of socio-hygienic factors, the role in the spread of venereal diseases in patients with alcohol and drug use, lack of awareness about STIs and their consequences, migration, early sexual debut, lack of fear of pregnancy due to available termination, urbanization, acceleration and emancipation of changes in the clinical course of STIs during the last 30-40 years, the reduced activity of medical workers in detecting sources of infection and sexual contacts of STI patients, which has played a certain role in the formation of the third post-war wave of the rise of venereal diseases (1988-1996). г.).
We have developed a method and obtained good clinical results of megadose penicillin treatment of manifest, serofast syphilis, latent syphilis, neurosyphilis and syphilis treatment with ceftriaxone (V.G. Pankratau, A.M. Lukyanau). The results of syphilis treatment with penicillin, bicellin 1, 3, 5, retarpene, extensillin were evaluated.
The department has made great contribution to the development of methods of diagnostics and treatment of gonorrhea and other STIs (Prakapchuk A.Y., Dylo P.V., Fedorova L.G., Khilkevich N.D., Pankratau V.G., Lukyanau A.M., Kachuk M.V., Naurotsky A.L., and others). The study of the clinical features of gonorrhea, chlamydia, mycoplasmas, trichomoniasis, has shown that the last 20-30 years there has been a change in the course of this STIs. (N.D. Khilkevich, M.V. Kachuk). It has been proved that gonorrhea and syphilis are concomitant with chlamydia, mycoplasmas, trichomoniasis. The Department actively participated in the development of guidelines for the treatment of syphilis, gonorrhea, STIs, which are currently used in dermatovenereological institutions.
Every year the chair conducts wide medical-consultative work giving consultations to 14-17 thousand patients; it takes part in conducting seminars concerning STIs, gonorrhea and syphilis for gynecologists, urologists, laboratory officers and dermatologists; it also conducts informative and educational work among population directed to preventing sexually transmitted and contagious skin diseases.
Under the leadership of staff of the chair were defended 8 doctorate theses, 43 master's theses. 11 monographs, more than 30 books, many educational and methodical books and recommendations, were edited more than 10 inventions, patents and certificates on rationalization proposals. Annually a big number of scientific articles are published. The department constantly improves pedagogical process, tries to steadily improve training quality of students, clinical interns, residents.
The present staff of the chair keeps and continues the best traditions of Belarusian school of dermatovenereologists.