It will be held in Humanity Universitydal 23 to 25 Februarythe third European Bronchiectasis Workshop: a moment of updating dedicated to pulmonologists, physiotherapists, nurses, paediatricians, general practitioners, radiologists, immunologists, infectious disease specialists and clinical microbiologists from all over Europe involved in the treatment of bronchiectasie, a chronic respiratory disease, still poorly understood and hardly diagnosed. Bronchiectasis is characterized by daily cough and phlegm and frequent respiratory infections caused by irreversible dilatation of the bronchi.
«To date there are no approved and specific pharmacological therapies to treat patients with bronchiectasis, and the management passes above all through daily respiratory physiotherapy and a careful use of antibiotics. However, the latest evidence – explains Prof. Stefano Aliberti, responsible for Pneumology of the IRCCS Humanitas Clinical Institute, full professor of diseases of the respiratory system at Humanitas University and workshop coordinator – they say that we are dealing with a disease supported by an important inflammatory component of the bronchi. Until a few years ago it was thought that the therapies should be sought only on infection control, but now new horizons are opening up for bronchiectasis patients: some of the drugs under study, in fact, are modulators of the immune system that reduce inflammation to bronchial level”.
Also for this reason, the workshop will be introduced by the master’s lecture by Alberto MantovaniScientific Director of Humanitas and professor emeritus of Humanitas University, on the role of immunity and inflammation as a meta-narrative of Medicine.
For the first time, pulmonologists, paediatricians, general practitioners and other health professionals will pro-actively meet to seek points of contact in the shared management of these patients. Participants will also be able to test themselves with exercises simulating the management of bronchiectasis patients thanks to the technologies of Simulation Center at Humanity University.
Bronchiectasis: why talk about it
Data say that, in Italy, up to 500 adults out of 100,000 suffer from bronchiectasis, but this is an underestimated figure. This pathology can actually manifest itself from the first years of lifeit can also have genetic components and aggravating factors due to a chronic infection by particular micro-organisms.
The European community of scientists and industry experts confirms that bronchiectasis and its comorbidities continue to be common misdiagnosed and treated inappropriately. The epidemiology is still incomplete and varies from country to country, management is far from uniform and completely satisfactory, while specific drugs are not yet available, even if new therapies could be on the market in the near future.
«In this rapidly evolving panorama – continues prof. Aliberti – it is essential to bring together experts to continuously improve the knowledge and management of this disease not only in the short term but also in the long term. This is especially true in the post-Covid-19 reality and within the complexity of different healthcare systems across Europe. There is also a need to focus on new research to help the small but active community of specialists studying bronchiectasis continue the research and clinical networking that has led to so many improvements in understanding and managing the disease in recent years. Always keeping our focus on the well-being and quality of life of patients”.
Together with prof. Aliberti, the 3a edition of the workshop will be coordinated by Francesco Blasifull professor of Respiratory Diseases at the University of Milan and director of Pneumology at the IRCCS Ca’ Granda Foundation, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico of Milan, and by James D. Chalmersprofessor at the University of Dundee (UK), assisted by an international scientific committee with professionals from the United Kingdom, Greece, Belgium, Spain, Germany and France.
Humanitas numbers