Lung diseases are among the most serious health issues and by now are responsible for one sixth of all deaths worldwide. In addition to the commonly known lung diseases such as COPD, asthma and pulmonary fibrosis, there are also a large number of so-called rare diseases of the lungs with no more than 5 persons affected per 10,000 inhabitants.

BREATH organizes expert forums on a regular basis to directly pass on current insights from research to physicians in private practices and non-university clinics. In addition to established topics such as pulmonary fibrosis or lung cancer, new topics are also being offered from time to time. In keeping with the Rare Disease Day, the first expert forum for rare lung diseases took place on February 27^th 2019 at the MHH.

The BREATH scientists Prof. Dr. Antje Prasse and Dr. Jessica Rademacher, both from MHH’s Department of Pulmonology, presented case studies on sarcoidosis and non-CF bronchiectasis, which are still relatively common in practice. Prof. Dr. Tobias Welte, clinic director of pulmonology at MHH and director of BREATH, also highlighted the syndrome of lymphangioleiomyomatosis. According to current estimates, only about 200 patients in Germany suffer from this disease, which exclusively affects women. In addition, Prof. Welte presented the complex interaction of lung diseases with heart involvement on the basis of the latest scientific findings from clinical studies of the MHH and the Fraunhofer ITEM.

The experts from BREATH extensively answered questions from the audience, which could be deepened after the lectures in further discussions. It is planned to continue the expert forum on rare lung diseases in the coming year.
The expert forum on rare lung diseases was kindly supported by the company Novartis.