BREATH regularly organizes education events for practicing pulmonologists on various lung diseases, such as pulmonary fibrosis or alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency. But diseases of the lung can also affect other organs. The collaboration of experts from different medical disciplines is often essential for diagnosis and subsequent treatment.

Both rheumatological and pneumological diseases are based on a complex immunological pathophysiology. On the one hand, rheumatological diseases manifest themselves in the lungs and vascular systems, and on the other joints and connective tissue are involved in pneumological diseases. This complexity of interaction between the two disease areas requires close collaboration between rheumatologists and pulmonologists. On October 30, the expert forum "Rheumatology and Pneumology - When Lungs and Joints Get Sick" was held for the second time. It was aimed at both pulmonologists and immunologists with a focus on rheumatology.

The aim of this expert forum was to raise awareness of the special demands of the treatment of interstitial lung diseases with the concomitant e.g. rheumatoid arthritis or scleroderma. This interdisciplinary approach was also reflected in the presented case studies. Professor Torsten Witte, Department of Immunology and Rheumatology, and Professor Antje Prasse, Department of Pulmonology, together with their colleagues, presented cases from the everyday clinical life of the MHH, which could only be successfully treated by the collaboration of experts from both clinics. Again, the second edition of the event was well received in by both pulmonologists and immunologists. The next event is already planned for 2019.

The expert forum rheumatology and pneumology was held with the kind support of Roche, abbvie, Actelion, Novartis and Boehringer Ingelheim.

Text: CD / BREATH

Picture: BREATH