Future perspectives on rare pulmonary diseases and rare presentations of common disorders

Abstract

The International Congress on Pulmonary Rare Diseases and Orphan Drugs is a unique European event which, since 2005, has been held every 2 years in Milan, Italy. The 5th Congress was held in February 2013 (www.pulmonaryrarediseases.com) with the next Congress being held on February 27–28, 2015, in conjunction with World Rare Diseases Day and during the year of the Universal Exposition 2015, which will also take place in Milan. Over the years, the Congress has increasingly expanded; it has grown in importance and has become an important European, as well as international, event. Nowadays, this event is a well-known and eagerly awaited rendezvous, and has become a valuable asset for the entire international scientific community in the field of rare (orphan) pulmonary diseases. The success of this Congress is based on its many profiles, international, translational and clinical, which gather together scientists from different fields of expertise (from pulmonary hypertension (PH) to lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM)) providing them with a valuable opportunity to encompass a broad range of insights within the area of respiratory medicine. Although most topics relate to rare pulmonary diseases, representing the core of the Congress, this year several rare presentations of common respiratory diseases …