Italian and international pneumology specialists gathered at the Leonardo Carriero congress centre in Lacco Ameno, Ischia, for an event titled "Asma, Bpco e malattie polmonari rare: certezze, necessità e soluzioni" — asthma, COPD and rare lung diseases. The focus was on earlier diagnosis, better-connected care, and more personalised treatment.
The meeting covered asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — known in Italian as BPCO — and rare lung diseases. According to the report in Il Mattino Napoli, the discussion brought together specialists to review recent studies and emerging therapeutic options.
Why it matters for Campania
The report attributes to the meeting an estimate of approximately 300,000 people in Campania living with COPD. That figure was not independently corroborated in the research for this article, but it indicates the scale of chronic respiratory disease the specialists said they were addressing.
A central message reported from the event was the need to recognise chronic respiratory disease earlier and to strengthen links between general practitioners, pneumologists, and hospitals. For readers, that means integrated care pathways: a persistent cough, wheeze, breathlessness, or repeated bronchitis should be followed up in primary care, with referral to a lung specialist and hospital services when needed, rather than treated as isolated episodes.
No complete programme, participant list, or independently verifiable event dates were available from the primary report.
New therapies: what "personalised" means here
One of the main topics was the prospect of biological medicines as a personalised-treatment option for selected subgroups of COPD patients, identified through clinical and inflammatory characteristics.
Biological medicines are targeted treatments for airway inflammation. Their use requires specialist clinical assessment, including biomarkers such as blood eosinophils and IgE. They are used in severe asthma and, for COPD, are discussed as an option only for carefully selected patient phenotypes — not for every patient.
The reporting describes these therapies as a prospect for selected groups. It does not establish that a specific new therapy was approved, made available, or administered at the event. Patients interested in whether they might be candidates would need evaluation by a respiratory specialist; the available evidence does not support seeking a biological treatment without that assessment.
Ischia's other respiratory connection: thermal inhalation treatments
Ischia is also known locally for thermal respiratory care. Information from Ischia's thermal services lists chronic bronchitis and bronchial asthma among respiratory conditions addressed by inhalation-based treatments, including inhalation therapies, nasal irrigation, and related crenotherapy techniques.
That listing describes what treatments are offered. It does not independently establish their clinical effectiveness for every respiratory condition, and it is separate from the specialist discussion of biological and personalised medicines at Lacco Ameno. Readers considering thermal inhalation treatments should discuss suitability with their doctor, especially if they have asthma, COPD, or a rare lung condition.
What to watch
The Ischia meeting points to three practical directions: catch chronic lung disease sooner, connect GPs, specialists, and hospitals more closely, and match newer targeted treatments to the patients most likely to benefit from them. Further detail on study results, participating centres, and next steps was not available in the verified sources.
