CHEST Expands Bridging Specialties Initiative to Include NTM Disease and Bronchiectasis on World Bronchiectasis Day
July 1, 2025
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:
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.