Cystic Fibrosis Centers
Cystic Fibrosis demands continuous, regular follow-up by specialized doctors at a Cystic Fibrosis Center at least every three months. With the appropriate medical follow-up of patients by organized centers, which operate with specialized doctors of various specialties (CF team) and experienced nursing staff, the patients have increased chances of improving their quality of life and health condition and benefit from better prognosis.
In Greece, two large Cystic Fibrosis Centers operate in Athens (“Agia Sofia” Children’s Hospital and “Sismanoglio”) and two in Thessaloniki (“Hippokrateio” and “Papanikolaou”), which monitor the majority of patients with Cystic Fibrosis, while smaller centers and clinics in provincial towns also operate at the same time.
Centers in Athens
Contact number: +30 2132013761
Email: cfcenter@paidon-agiasofia.gr
The Cystic Fibrosis Unit has been operating since 1961. In 1987 it joined the NHS as an independent department. It is the largest pediatric Cystic Fibrosis Center in Greece and monitors more than 300 children with Cystic Fibrosis.
Patients are monitored regularly with visits to the Department’s outpatient clinics every 1-3 months, and 20-25 children are hospitalized each month. The Department consists of doctors Loukou Ioanna – Director of the Department, Petroheilou Argyri, Moustaki Maria, Zarkada Ioanna.
Contact numbers: +30 213-2058408 (Secretary- Appointment Ex. Clinic) Monday-Friday 11:00-15:00, +30 213 2058342 (Hospital- Emergencies)
Email: cystic@sismanoglio.gr
The Cystic Fibrosis Unit for Adults has been operating since 1997. It is the largest center for the treatment and follow-up of adult patients with Cystic Fibrosis in Greece. In the Adult Unit of Sismanoglio, 298 patients are monitored, and their number is constantly increasing due to the continuous inclusion of new patients from the corresponding Unit of the “Agia Sofia” Children’s Hospital. The Unit is in a separate autonomous wing and consists of the doctor’s office and ten single rooms with separate toilets. With donations from the Hellenic Cystic Fibrosis Association, the rooms have been equipped with televisions, small refrigerators, and stationary bicycles. The head of the Unit is Diamantea Filia, Director of the NHS.
Centers in Thessaloniki
Contact number: +30 2310 892435
It systematically serves more than 116 children with Cystic Fibrosis at the level of outpatient clinics and in-hospital care and hospitalization. The children are monitored in pre-arranged visits every three months at a special outpatient clinic that operates every Tuesday. In addition to the clinical examination, spirometry, tracking the weight curve, sputum culture, and control of physical therapy are essential. More special tests, if required, are scheduled during the routine visit.
All children with Cystic Fibrosis have free admission to the Clinic if their health deteriorates. Also, children with permanent pseudomonas colonization are hospitalized regularly to receive intravenous treatment. In many cases, the Cystic Fibrosis nurse trains the parents for home care of these cases. In addition, physiotherapists provide supportive physiotherapy and training. The responsible physician of the Department is Hatziagorou Elpida, Associate Professor of Pediatrics – Pediatric Pulmonology, AUTH.
About 30 patients with Cystic Fibrosis are monitored by the responsible doctor Maria Fotoulaki, Professor of Pediatric Gastroenterology, AUTH, in collaboration with the Cystic Fibrosis departments of the “Hippokratio” and “Papanikolaou” hospitals in Thessaloniki.
The Adult Cystic Fibrosis Center of AUTH at the “G. Papanikolaou” of Thessaloniki has been operating for 15 years within the Pulmonology-Tuberculosis Clinic of the University of Athens. It is the only monitoring center for adult patients with Cystic Fibrosis in Northern Greece and one of the two organized centers for adults in Greece.
Currently, it monitors more than 60 adult patients with Cystic Fibrosis from all over Northern Greece. The number of adult patients increases significantly yearly. The head of the Center is Katerina Manika, Associate Professor of Pulmonology.
Cystic Fibrosis
Centers
Contact numbers: +30 210 5832044, fax: + 30 2105832229
Extension 1535 (Clinic Code 06881)
Opening hours: 9.00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Clinic Location: Ground Floor of “Attikon” University Hospital
Operating days of Outpatient Clinics (except the Hospital’s on-call days): Monday
Since 2013, the Cystic Fibrosis clinic has monitored ten children under the supervision of Konstantinos Douros, Pediatric Pulmonologist – Pediatric Allergist, Associate Professor of Pediatrics.
A small number of children are monitored by the responsible doctor Bolis Konstantinos, Director of ESY Pediatrics.
About 30 patients are being monitored under the supervision of Georgios Pitsidianakis, Director of ESY Pulmonology.
The hospital monitors a small number of adult patients in collaboration with the major CF Centers, with the responsible physician Eleni Karetsi, Supervisor of the First Pulmonology Clinic of the University of Thessaly.
