The Emory Center for the Treatment and Study of Interstitial Lung Disease is a one-of-a-kind enterprise in the Southeastern region of the U.S. that seeks to integrate state-of-the-art diagnostic techniques with the latest therapeutic options for the multidisciplinary care of patients with interstitial lung disease. With over 150 distinct interstitial lung disease entities, many of them idiopathic, it is no wonder that we have not seen many advances in the treatment and management of these diseases. The Interstitial Lung Disease Center aims to narrow this gap in knowledge.
The Interstitial Lung Disease program includes a clinical component at the Emory Clinic. This component will provide a multidisciplinary approach to the diagnosis and management of patients with interstitial lung disease. Under the guidance of its director, Srihari Veeraraghavan, a major thrust of the Interstitial Lung Disease Center will be the recruitment of patients for much needed clinical trials designed to identify effective treatments for interstitial lung disease. The Emory Interstitial Lung Disease Center is currently involved in multiple clinical trials designed to investigate the potential benefits of a variety of oral, intravenous, and inhaled medications aimed to prevent lung damage and scarring in patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, sarcoidosis, and other fibrosing interstitial lung diseases.
The Interstitial Lung Disease program also serves as a referral center for sarcoidosis, and multiple rare and orphan lung diseases. This serves as an invaluable resource for patients with these diseases to reach physicians who are experts in these rare conditions. Lymphangioleiomyomatosis, Langerhans cell histiocytosis, Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome, pulmonary Sjogren’s are some of the rare diseases seen at our clinic.
A multidisciplinary approach involving experts from several other fields of medicine is crucial for the correct diagnosis and management in these conditions. With this in mind, the physicians from the Interstitial Lung Disease program as well as the radiologists, pathologists, rheumatologists and the lung transplant physicians meet weekly to discuss patient care. This regular gathering of experts is a critical resource and is a unique strength for the program.
Another important objective of the interstitial lung disease center is the early identification of patients for lung transplantation and the promotion of research designed to improve the effectiveness of this modality. Until new therapies are identified, lung transplantation is the only option for survival for many patients with interstitial lung disease. To this end, the Interstitial Lung Disease Center has partnered with The McKelvey Lung Transplantation Center at Emory.