Where to Find a Pulmonary Fibrosis Specialist in Gdańsk: Clinics and Referral Options

Finding a specialist can be important when pulmonary fibrosis or another interstitial lung disease (ILD) is suspected or has already been identified. ILD includes many different conditions, and determining the specific type can require specialist imaging, pulmonary function testing, laboratory investigations, and input from several medical specialties.

In Gdańsk, the main specialist pathway is through Uniwersyteckie Centrum Kliniczne (UCK). Its Pneumonology Outpatient Clinic explicitly covers idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), hypersensitivity pneumonitis, connective-tissue-disease-associated ILD, sarcoidosis, and other rare lung diseases.

UCK also provides lung transplantation services and rheumatology expertise when systemic autoimmune disease is involved.

Private pulmonology options are available in Gdańsk, and additional respiratory services can be found elsewhere in the Tricity area. These services do not all provide the same type or depth of ILD expertise, so it is useful to understand their different roles.

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Why can seeing an ILD specialist in Gdańsk be useful?

An ILD specialist can bring together imaging, lung-function results, medical history, and other investigations when pulmonary fibrosis needs further assessment.

Pulmonary fibrosis means scarring has developed in lung tissue, but it is not a single disease.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is one form. Other fibrosing ILDs can occur alongside systemic sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and other connective-tissue diseases, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, sarcoidosis, certain medicines, environmental exposures, occupational exposures, and other conditions.

This distinction can matter because investigations and care can differ according to the specific type of ILD.

International guidelines for IPF emphasize high-resolution CT and multidisciplinary discussion when the diagnosis is uncertain. Depending on the situation, expertise from respiratory medicine, thoracic radiology, pathology, and rheumatology may contribute.

Not everyone needs invasive testing or a lung biopsy.

For a broader introduction, read mama health's guide to pulmonary fibrosis.

Where can you find a pulmonary fibrosis specialist in Gdańsk?

The main dedicated route in Gdańsk is the Pneumonology Outpatient Clinic at Uniwersyteckie Centrum Kliniczne, supported by several related UCK specialist services.

The options below have different roles. A general pulmonology consultation is not the same as assessment within a tertiary ILD service, while transplantation and rheumatology services are relevant only in specific circumstances.

1. UCK Pneumonology Outpatient Clinic

The Pneumonology Outpatient Clinic at UCK is the most directly relevant specialist service in Gdańsk for pulmonary fibrosis and other ILDs.

The clinic explicitly states that its work includes interstitial lung diseases such as:

• Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
• Hypersensitivity pneumonitis
• Sarcoidosis
• Lung involvement associated with connective-tissue diseases
• Rare lung diseases
• Drug-related lung reactions
• Other interstitial lung conditions

Investigations available through the service include spirometry, measurement of lung diffusing capacity, radiological examinations, and CT.

DLCO can be particularly relevant in ILD because it provides information about how effectively gases transfer between the lungs and bloodstream. It is one part of the overall assessment rather than a standalone diagnostic test.

Location: Centrum Medycyny Inwazyjnej, ul. Smoluchowskiego 17, 80-214 Gdańsk

Why consider it: explicit IPF and ILD expertise, CT access, pulmonary function testing, rare lung disease experience, and links to other specialist departments within UCK.

2. UCK Department of Pneumonology

The UCK Department of Pneumonology provides hospital-based respiratory expertise for complex lung disease in Gdańsk.

The department is part of a large academic hospital and is connected with specialist outpatient services, advanced pulmonary investigations, inpatient respiratory care, and academic research.

Published UCK respiratory services include spirometry, DLCO, body plethysmography, six-minute walk testing, and bronchoscopy.

These tests provide different kinds of information. The appropriate combination depends on the medical question being investigated.

Gdańsk also has active academic work involving pulmonary fibrosis and fibrotic lung disease. Research programmes change over time, so anyone interested in current studies should confirm availability directly with the research team.

Location: Centrum Medycyny Nieinwazyjnej, ul. Smoluchowskiego 17, 80-214 Gdańsk

Why consider it: tertiary respiratory expertise, extensive pulmonary testing, hospital-based assessment, and academic involvement in fibrotic lung disease.

3. UCK Lung Transplantation Service

UCK has a dedicated lung transplantation programme that includes idiopathic and other pulmonary fibrosis among the diseases that may lead to transplant assessment.

This is an advanced specialist pathway rather than a starting point for everyone with pulmonary fibrosis.

The UCK transplantation programme lists idiopathic and other pulmonary fibrosis among conditions for which lung transplantation can be considered in selected circumstances.

Referral depends on specialist assessment. The transplant team reviews whether further evaluation is relevant based on the individual's medical situation.

UCK's published pathway states that referral to the transplantation service comes through specialist respiratory care and that recent investigations may be required as part of the assessment.

Location: ul. Smoluchowskiego 17, 80-214 Gdańsk

Why consider it: specialist transplantation assessment for selected advanced lung diseases, including fibrotic lung disease.

4. UCK Rheumatology Services

UCK's rheumatology services can be particularly relevant when interstitial lung disease occurs alongside a systemic autoimmune or connective-tissue disease.

This pathway serves a different purpose from a general pulmonary fibrosis clinic.

The UCK Rheumatology Outpatient Clinic works with systemic connective-tissue and rheumatic diseases including systemic sclerosis, Sjögren syndrome, inflammatory muscle diseases, systemic vasculitis, and other uncommon rheumatic conditions.

This is relevant because ILD can occur as part of some systemic autoimmune diseases.

The UCK Pneumonology Outpatient Clinic also specifically describes assessment of lung changes associated with connective-tissue diseases. Having respiratory and rheumatology expertise within the same wider institution can therefore be useful when both systems are involved.

Location: UCK services at ul. Smoluchowskiego 17 and ul. Dębinki 7, Gdańsk

Why consider it: connective-tissue-disease expertise when autoimmune-associated ILD forms part of the medical picture.

5. Remedium Gdańsk — Private Pulmonology

Remedium provides a private outpatient option in Gdańsk with specialist pulmonology expertise that includes interstitial lung diseases and IPF.

The clinic lists pulmonologist Tomasz Nadolny, whose stated areas of interest include interstitial lung diseases, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis, breathlessness, respiratory failure, and other pulmonary conditions.

This is a private outpatient consultation route rather than a replacement for UCK's tertiary ILD infrastructure.

A private consultation can provide another way to access specialist respiratory expertise. More complex questions involving multidisciplinary ILD assessment, hospital investigations, national treatment programmes, or transplantation may still require care through a tertiary hospital service.

Location: ul. Mariana Smoluchowskiego 3/U2, 80-214 Gdańsk

Why consider it: private access to a pulmonologist with explicitly stated experience in ILD and IPF.

Are there pulmonary specialist options near Gdańsk?

Yes. Additional pulmonology services are available elsewhere in the Tricity area, although not every pulmonary clinic describes dedicated IPF or ILD expertise.

One example is the Pulmonology Outpatient Clinic at Uniwersyteckie Centrum Medycyny Morskiej i Tropikalnej in Gdynia.

The clinic provides pulmonology appointments through an NFZ contract and requires a referral. Its public information describes specialist respiratory consultations and spirometry.

However, it does not describe the same dedicated IPF and ILD scope published by UCK.

It is therefore more accurate to consider it a general pulmonology option rather than assume it is a dedicated ILD referral centre.

When the main question concerns pulmonary fibrosis or an uncertain interstitial lung disease, it can be useful to ask whether assessment through a service that explicitly specializes in ILD is relevant.

How do you get a referral to a pulmonologist in Gdańsk?

For an NFZ-funded pulmonology appointment, an e-referral is generally required.

A referral to specialist outpatient care can be issued when a healthcare professional working within the public healthcare system considers specialist assessment appropriate.

Pulmonology is not generally one of the specialties that can be accessed through NFZ without a referral.

Polish e-referrals can be issued for specialist consultations and are available through Internetowe Konto Pacjenta and mojeIKP.

Once you have an e-referral, you can choose an appropriate NFZ-contracted specialist clinic. You are not generally restricted to a clinic in the town where you live.

A referral can normally be registered with one specialist clinic at a time.

UCK currently provides outpatient registration through several routes, including phone, email, in-person registration, and online services. Requirements can change, so check the current process before arranging travel.

Can a doctor outside Gdańsk refer you to UCK?

Yes. You do not generally need to live in Gdańsk to choose an NFZ specialist clinic there.

Polish specialist outpatient rules allow someone with the appropriate referral to choose an NFZ-contracted clinic of the relevant type.

This can be useful when looking for a service with explicit ILD expertise.

More specialized pathways can have additional requirements. Hospital admission, national drug programmes, respiratory rehabilitation, or transplant assessment may involve separate referrals or qualification procedures.

If you are unsure which referral is required, contact the relevant UCK service before arranging your visit.

What if pulmonary fibrosis has not been confirmed yet?

A pulmonology service with explicit ILD expertise can be useful when lung abnormalities have been identified but the exact condition remains uncertain.

Pulmonary fibrosis cannot be classified from one symptom or one isolated test.

A specialist assessment may consider:

• The pattern seen on high-resolution CT
• Previous imaging and whether it has changed
• Spirometry and lung volumes
• FVC
• DLCO
• Exercise capacity
• Blood test results
• Autoimmune symptoms and investigations
• Current and previous medicines
• Occupational exposures
• Birds, mould, dust, fumes, chemicals, or other environmental exposures
• Previous respiratory illnesses
• Relevant family history

Additional investigations can be considered when important questions remain unanswered.

Bronchoscopy, bronchoalveolar lavage, or tissue sampling may be relevant in selected ILDs, but these procedures are not automatically required.

International guidelines for IPF emphasize combining the clinical history with HRCT findings and multidisciplinary expertise rather than relying on a single test.

For more background, read mama health's guide to pulmonary fibrosis symptoms.

What pulmonary function tests are available in Gdańsk?

UCK provides several respiratory tests commonly used during ILD assessment and follow-up.

Published pulmonary services include:

• Spirometry
• Spirometry with bronchodilator testing
• DLCO
• Body plethysmography
• Six-minute walk testing
• CT and other radiological investigations
• Bronchoscopy

These investigations answer different questions.

Spirometry measures how much air can be moved through the lungs. FVC is one of the measurements obtained during spirometry.

DLCO provides information about gas transfer between the lungs and blood.

Body plethysmography provides additional measurements of lung volumes.

The six-minute walk test provides information about functional exercise performance and can also show how oxygen levels respond during walking.

A respiratory specialist decides which tests are appropriate for the individual situation.

To understand one specific form of pulmonary fibrosis in more detail, see mama health's guide to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

What treatment options can specialist ILD services discuss?

Treatment depends on the specific type of ILD, how the condition is behaving, and the individual's wider medical history.

There is no single treatment approach for every form of pulmonary fibrosis.

Antifibrotic medicines can be used for certain fibrosing lung diseases when current medical criteria are met. Other forms of ILD may involve different medicines, particularly when an autoimmune or inflammatory process is involved.

Specialist respiratory care can also include pulmonary rehabilitation, oxygen therapy when medically indicated, vaccination discussions, support for associated conditions, and transplantation assessment in selected situations.

The appropriate approach depends on the underlying condition and specialist assessment.

Current Polish treatment programmes and qualification criteria can change, so programme availability should be confirmed directly with the centre.

What should you bring to a pulmonary fibrosis appointment in Gdańsk?

Bringing organized medical information can make it easier to explain your history and remember the questions you want to discuss.

Depending on what has already been investigated, useful records may include:

• Previous chest CT scans, including original image files where available
• CT and X-ray reports
• Previous spirometry results
• FVC and DLCO results
• Six-minute walk test results
• Hospital discharge summaries
• Current prescriptions
• A list of medicines previously taken
• Relevant laboratory results
• Rheumatology or autoimmune investigations
• Previous bronchoscopy reports
• Pathology reports if tissue sampling has already taken place
• Information about work-related exposures
• Information about birds, mould, dust, fumes, or chemicals
• A short timeline of changes you want to remember

It can also help to prepare a few questions in advance.

Examples include:

• What type of ILD is being considered?
• What does the pattern described in my CT report mean?
• Can my previous CT scans be compared with the latest images?
• What do my FVC and DLCO results describe?
• Are additional investigations being considered?
• Would multidisciplinary review be relevant?
• What changes could be useful for me to record between appointments?
• Could pulmonary rehabilitation be relevant to discuss?
• When might another assessment be planned?

These questions are examples for preparing a discussion. They do not determine which investigations or care are appropriate.

What can the experience of others with pulmonary fibrosis add?

Experiences shared by others can surface practical questions that may not appear in imaging reports, laboratory results, or pulmonary function tests.

Pulmonary fibrosis can raise questions about breathlessness, coughing, fatigue, sleep, exercise, work, travel, appointments, medicines, and everyday activities.

Medical evidence and the experience of others serve different purposes.

Trusted medical sources can explain what is known about pulmonary fibrosis, investigations, and care. Experiences from others can provide practical context around the questions that arise in daily life.

Seeing what others with the same condition have wondered about can help you recognize a topic you may also want to discuss or give you ideas for questions to prepare for an appointment.

These experiences cannot explain what your symptoms mean medically, and individual experiences can differ significantly.

How can mama health help before and between specialist appointments?

mama health is a free app for everything your condition asks of you, grounded in medical science and the experience of others, so you don't have to figure it out alone.

• Ask anything. Shaped by trusted sources, your history, and thousands like you.
  Questions often appear outside appointments. mama health gives you a place to explore educational information and keep track of the points you want to remember.
• Find specialists and care near you, wherever you are.
  If you are looking for an ILD specialist, pulmonologist, respiratory rehabilitation service, or another type of care, mama health can help you find relevant options nearby.
• Understand your labs, prescriptions, and reports, read against your history.
  mama health can provide educational explanations of unfamiliar terminology in laboratory results, prescriptions, imaging reports, and other medical documents alongside the history you choose to share.
  
  This does not determine what a result means medically or turn a report into a diagnosis. It can help make the terminology easier to understand and support preparation for a discussion with your healthcare team.
• Track for your own reflection.
  
  You can record symptoms, triggers, medication experiences, appointments, questions, and other changes you want to remember.

Instead of relying on memory during a short appointment, what you record can be turned into a structured report that you can take to your doctor's appointment.

The experience of thousands like you can add practical context too. Seeing the kinds of questions others have asked may introduce a topic you had not considered or help you put something into clearer words.

mama health does not diagnose pulmonary fibrosis or ILD, determine which specialist you need, decide whether transplantation is appropriate, interpret test results as a diagnosis, or make treatment decisions.

Prepare for your next specialist appointment

Use mama health to keep the questions, reports, prescriptions, and changes you want to remember in one place. Find relevant care nearby and turn what you record into a structured report to take to your doctor's appointment.

What is the main takeaway when looking for a pulmonary fibrosis specialist in Gdańsk?

UCK is the main specialist hub for pulmonary fibrosis and ILD in Gdańsk, with different services available depending on the reason specialist expertise is needed.

Its Pneumonology Outpatient Clinic is the clearest starting point for specialist ILD assessment because it explicitly covers IPF, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, sarcoidosis, connective-tissue-disease-associated ILD, and rare lung diseases.

The wider Department of Pneumonology provides extensive respiratory testing and hospital-based expertise.

UCK's lung transplantation programme provides a separate pathway for selected advanced lung diseases, while rheumatology services can be relevant when ILD occurs alongside a systemic autoimmune condition.

Private outpatient pulmonology provides another option in Gdańsk, including access to a specialist whose published clinical interests include ILD and IPF. However, a private outpatient consultation should not be assumed to offer the same multidisciplinary infrastructure as a tertiary ILD centre.

For NFZ specialist care, an e-referral is generally required. An appropriate contracted specialist clinic can be chosen even if you live outside Gdańsk.

Before arranging a visit, confirm the referral type, current appointment process, service availability, and which medical records or scans the clinic wants you to bring.

Disclaimer: This content is informational and not a medical device. mama health offers information and support and does not replace a doctor.