CHEST expands Bridging Specialties Initiative to include NTM disease and bronchiectasis on World Bronchiectasis Day

Glenview, Illinois – On World Bronchiectasis Day (July 1), the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) is announcing the launch of Bridging Specialties^®: Timely Diagnosis for NTM Disease and Bronchiectasis.

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) disease and bronchiectasis are complex, often underrecognized lung conditions that can mimic more common respiratory diseases, such as chronic bronchitis or TB. This can lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment.

To address these delays, pulmonary and primary care professionals are coming together to create materials that will aid in reducing the time it takes to reach a diagnosis for NTM disease and bronchiectasis.

"These diseases are very misunderstood and can profoundly diminish a patient’s quality of life, particularly when diagnosis is delayed,” said Steering Committee Chair Doreen Addrizzo-Harris, MD, FCCP, renowned NTM disease and bronchiectasis expert. “Delays in diagnosis cause irreparable respiratory damage and prolong patient suffering. As a committee, we’re working to provide clinicians in primary care and pulmonary medicine the essential tools for earlier detection, accurate diagnosis, and effective management to help close care gaps and improve outcomes.”

To launch the initiative, the Steering Committee created educational assets, including:

• Webinars
  • Airway Clearance in Bronchiectasis
  • Radiology in NTM and Bronchiectasis
  • Living With Bronchiectasis and NTM: The Patient Perspective

• Podcasts
  • Diagnosing NTM and Bronchiectasis: Best Practices for Early and Accurate Recognition
  • Initial Treatment Strategies for Bronchiectasis and NTM Pulmonary Disease
  • Bronchiectasis Exacerbations and Management Strategies
  • Recalcitrant MAC Lung Disease and Resistant MAC and M abscessus

The Steering Committee is also developing a toolkit containing research-backed resources that will aid clinicians in better identifying and diagnosing NTM disease and bronchiectasis.

The Bridging Specialties initiative was started in 2022 as Bridging Specialties: Timely Diagnosis for ILD, when CHEST and Three Lakes Foundation brought together pulmonary and primary care experts with the shared goal of shortening the time to diagnosis for interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) like pulmonary fibrosis. Seeing the success of the initiative, the program expanded into Bridging Specialties: Timely Diagnosis and Treatment for COPD and Bridging Specialties: Timely Diagnosis for PH-ILD as the second and third iterations.

To learn more about Bridging Specialties: Timely Diagnosis for NTM Disease and Bronchiectasis, visit the CHEST website.

About the American College of Chest Physicians

The American College of Chest Physicians^® (CHEST) is the global leader in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of chest diseases. Its mission is to champion advanced clinical practice, education, communication, and research in chest medicine. It serves as an essential connection to clinical knowledge and resources for its 22,000+ members from around the world who provide patient care in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. For information about the American College of Chest Physicians, and its flagship journal CHEST^®, visit chestnet.org.