Elettra Zuliani

Dr. Elettra Zuliani


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

4Years (2023-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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11 September 2023 in Children
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
ATArianna Traunero
Arianna Traunero
FPFrancesca Peri
Francesca Peri
LBLaura Badina
Laura Badina
AAAlessandro Amaddeo
Alessandro Amaddeo
EZElettra Zuliani
Elettra Zuliani
SGSergio Ghirardo
Sergio Ghirardo
Recipients of HSCT have a high risk of infective and non-infective pulmonary diseases. Most patients with pulmonary involvement present multiple pathogenetic mechanisms simultaneously with complex interactions. Therefore, it can be difficult to distinguish the contributions of each one and to perform studies on this subject. In this opinion article, we discuss only chronic pulmonary manifestations, focusing on LONIPCs (late-onset non-infectious pulmonary complications). This term embraces drug-related toxicity, allergies, and chronic pulmonary graft versus host disease (GvHD) in all its recently identified clinical variants. Among LONIPCs, GvHD represents the most critical in terms of morbidity and mortality, despite the rapid development of new treatment options. A recently emerging perspective suggests that pulmonary lung rejection in transplant patients shares striking similarities with the pathogenesis of GvHD. In a pulmonary transplant, the donor organ is damaged by the host immune system, whereas in GvHD, the donor immune system damages the host organs. It constitutes the most significant breakthrough in recent years and is highly promising for both hematologists and thoracic transplant surgeons. The number of patients with LONIPCs is scarce, with heterogenous clinical characteristics often involving several pathogenetic mechanisms, making it challenging to conduct randomized controlled trials. Therefore, the body of evidence in this field is scarce and generally of low quality, leading to jeopardized choices in terms of immunosuppressive treatment. Moreover, it risks being outdated by common practice due to the quick evolution of knowledge about the diagnosis and treatment of LONIPCs. The literature is even more pitiful for children with pulmonary involvement related to HSCT.