“Pulmonary” disease refers to many disorders affecting the lungs, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, infections such as influenza, pneumonia and tuberculosis, lung cancer and many other breathing problems, including sleep apnea, pulmonary fibrosis and sarcoidosis.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health Statistics for US Adults, National Center for health Statistics, National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute
- Collectively, lung disease is the number three killer in the United States, causing one in seven deaths annually.
- More than 35 million Americans have a chronic lung condition.
- Nearly 10 million non-institutionalized adults were diagnosed with chronic bronchitis in the past year.
- Emphysema was diagnosed in an estimate 4 million people in 2009.
- More than 120,000 individuals died of COPD in 2008.
- Of the 10 leading causes of infant mortality, four are lung diseases.
At Winthrop-University Hospital, laboratory scientists and pulmonary, pediatric and cardiovascular specialists are pursuing a better understanding of heart and lung diseases through studies of cell development and function, as well as tissue injury, recovery and the role of heredity in the overall process. The goal is to prevent lung and heart damage in children and adults in order to improve survival and outcome. Research by Winthrop physicians has led to understanding of how a popular antioxidant, superoxide dismutase, significantly affects treatment and outcome for premature babies with fragile, undeveloped lungs. Additionally, clinical investigations into the next generation of therapies for asthma, allergies, COPD, emphysema and lung cancer are ongoing, with a focus on bringing the most current treatments to patients.
WUH Researchers’ Study:
- the treatment and mechanisms of bronchiectasis, asthma, and COPD
- respiratory infections, specifically community- acquired pneumonia, nosocomial pneumonia, and healthcare associated pneumonia.
- the role of adjunctive aerosolized antibiotics for patients with ventilator associated pneumonia.
- the use of serum biomarkers to define the proper duration of antibiotic therapy for patients with lung infiltrates.
- resource utilization in the ICU for patients with severe end-stage disease.
- Oxidant injury in premature neonates.
Faculty who study Pulmonary disease:
Jonathon Ilowite, M.D.
Michael Niederman, M.D.
Louis Ragolia, Ph.D.
Warren Rosenfeld, M.D.
Joshua DeLeon, MD