Naples, Connective Tissue Outpatient Clinic at San Giovanni Bosco

The new connective tissue clinic at San Giovanni Bosco is already fully operational, enriching the healthcare offerings of the ASL Napoli 1 Centro.

Since February 7, the Rheumatology Unit at San Giovanni Bosco Hospital, directed by Dr. Enrico Tirri, which already treats over 200 patients, has also hosted an outpatient clinic dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of this systemic inflammatory disease.

"The connectivities - explains Dr. Tirri - They involve the whole body and have an autoimmune origin, because they are activated by a malfunctioning immune system that attacks the organism itself."

Precisely because of their complexity, connective tissue diseases require a specialist and multidisciplinary approach. "Various diseases - continues Tirri - are part of those that can be classified as connective tissue diseases. For example, Sjögren's syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, undifferentiated connective tissue diseases.

But also rare rheumatic diseases such as systemic sclerosis, inflammatory myopathies, and mixed connective tissue disease. Symptoms can vary greatly: from dryness of the mucous membranes of the mouth or eyes to arthritis, up to (even severe) renal, pulmonary, neurological, vascular, cardiac, and hematological involvement.

Since the beginning of the outpatient clinic, 21 patients have already been admitted and taken into care for the continuation of the in-depth evaluation necessary to classify the disease."

"This connective tissue clinic - explains the general director of the ASL, Ciro Verdoliva - This new and important healthcare service allows us to offer citizens in the city of Naples. The availability of this service expands the range of services available to patients with conditions that can simultaneously affect multiple organs and systems. If not correctly diagnosed and treated appropriately, these conditions can lead to serious problems for the organs affected by the disease.

The clinic's leaders are Drs. Saviana Gandolfo and Serena Fasano, Rheumatology medical directors, who gained experience at national and international referral centers for connective tissue diseases.

Patients can access the Rheumatology Unit (which is also the Regional Reference Center for Rare Rheumatic Diseases) by making a CUP appointment with a simple referral from their general practitioner indicating a "rheumatology visit." This will be followed, for patients suffering from connective tissue disease, by a specific procedure at the dedicated clinic.