Welcome Message
Welcome to Lung Scarring and Fibrosis Week at the ATS! More than ever before, significant progress has been made in the care of patients with lung fibrosis. Increased recognition of risk factors, earlier detection of radiographic anomalies, more practical guidelines, and better access to multidisciplinary team evaluations have all come together to enhance the management of lung fibrosis. Together, these have helped increase diagnostic precision and provided clinicians with guidance in identifying appropriate therapies that improve outcomes.
However, the risk factors for lung fibrosis and scarring remain pervasive, and much is yet to be done. Given these challenges, in 2021, ongoing societal and governmental efforts to curb the widespread use of tobacco saw renewed success. In addition to these concerted endeavors, efforts at mitigating toxic environmental exposures and air pollutants also continued relentlessly. Incidentally, the vast scope of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic presented even greater challenges as countless individuals grappled with the detrimental impact of SARS-COV-2 infection and the ramifications of residual scarring in their lungs. Nevertheless, renewed scientific collaboration during this pandemic resulted in life-saving interventions, breakthrough therapies, and novel vaccines. Health systems developed remote technologies and increasingly relied on telemedicine for patient care as lung fibrosis was thrust further into the limelight.
In addition to previously established strategies, the treatment landscape has witnessed impressive advances as newer FDA-approved therapies spanning different subtypes of lung fibrosis recently became available. Furthermore, ongoing clinical trials hold promise for many more effective treatments in the pipeline. As the ATS and PAR continue their commitment to highlighting these issues and promoting awareness of lung fibrosis and scarring, patients, caregivers, and clinicians remain hopeful about transformative therapies that would positively impact the lives of individuals affected by this devastating lung disease.
|
Deji Adegunsoye, MD, MS |
Jennifer Mefford |
Donna Appell |
ATS Lung Scarring and Fibrosis Week Partners
Founded in 2000 by brothers Albert Rose and Michael Rosenzweig, PhD, the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to identifying effective PF treatments and assisting those living with the disease. The brothers experienced firsthand the devastating effects of PF when their sister Claire passed away from the disease. Both brothers were also diagnosed with PF, and it was their vision and dedication that led to the creation of the Foundation.
The mission of the Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome Network is to gather and disseminate information, to promote awareness and research, and to provide support to our members. This keeps us actively developing educational materials, pamphlets, slides, and articles to help both families and professionals understand the needs created by this syndrome. We maintain a client registry to assist with networking individuals, with each other and with medical research.
