Interstitial and Rare Lung Disease (IRLD) Program
As part of Pulmonary Medicine, the Interstitial and Rare Lung Disease (IRLD) Program is dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of rare lung diseases of childhood. Our multidisciplinary team approach to care will help support patients and their families as they manage lung disease.
Our clinic utilizes a multidisciplinary team of providers, including doctors, nurses, dietitians, social workers, and respiratory therapists to support families as patients undergo diagnostic testing and management of interstitial and rare lung diseases. We provide full lung function testing in clinic, and have access to further imaging, laboratory, genetic, and surgical biopsy testing as needed.
We treat patients who are suspected to have interstitial lung disease (abnormal chest CT or XR imaging, abnormal breathing, low oxygen levels) or pulmonary complications of other diseases (immune dysfunction, genetic disorders, rheumatologic disorders, post solid organ or bone marrow transplantation).
Katelyn Krivchenia, MD is the director of the IRLD program. This clinic is the first at Nationwide Children's to cater specifically to rare lung diseases impacting the pulmonary interstitium. These diagnoses are generally complicated to identify and manage, making a centralized medical home an important part of their care.
Visits will involve consultation with the pulmonary physician and initial review of imaging studies. Age appropriate lung function testing will be done in the office, with further testing scheduled as needed. Additional interactions with social work, dietary, and respiratory therapy will be arranged during the visit as clinically indicated.
Specific Conditions Addressed by Clinic
Interstitial and rare lung diseases (this is an umbrella term encompassing hundreds of diagnoses). Some examples include:
- NEHI (neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia of infancy)
- surfactant deficiencies
- short telomere disorders
- bronchiolitis obliterans
- ILD associated with rheumatologic, immunologic, or genetic disorders