Tulane to host sarcoidosis conference
Tulane University School of Medicine will bring international sarcoidosis experts together for a day-long event aimed at helping patients and physicians better recognize and treat the potentially fatal inflammatory disease that is often misdiagnosed.
A physician conference, “Sarcoidosis: Tackling the Trickster,” is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 27, in the Diboll Auditorium of the Tidewater Building, located at 1440 Canal St. It is sponsored by Tulane University Lung Center, the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research, Sarcoidosis Awareness Foundation of Louisiana and the World Association for Sarcoidosis and other Granulomatous Disorders.
Patients are encouraged to attend the morning sessions of the physician conference before joining a separate afternoon event tailored for patients and their families. Registration for the New Orleans Sarcoidosis Patient Conference costs $10 and is available online.
“The conference is an opportunity for patients and their family members to meet other patients, physicians and researchers to share their experiences, identify and discuss needs and gain a better understanding of sarcoidosis,” said conference organizer Dr. Lesley Ann Saketkoo, associate professor of medicine and director of the New Orleans Scleroderma and Sarcoidosis Patient Care and Research Center.
Sarcoidosis causes the immune system to go into overdrive, triggering cells to group together into clumps called granulomas. When too many granulomas form on an organ, they can interfere with the organ’s function. Although the lungs are affected in more than 90 percent of patients, the disease can attack any organ. Early detection increases survival and decreases disability.
“There is a high prevalence of sarcoidosis in the New Orleans area, particularly the severe type,” Saketkoo said.
The physician conference will offer specialized tracks in the afternoon, featuring sessions for those in primary care, cardiology, pulmonology, neurology and ophthalmology. The sessions are free for staff at Tulane, LSU, LCMC, Ochsner and the SE LA Veterans Health Care System.
For more information, visit: https://tulane.edu/som/departments/medicine/pulmdis/sarcoidosis-cmeceu-and-patient-conference.cfm.
