The Clinical Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, Allergology and Endocrinology includes the clinical specialties of pulmonology and allergology, endocrinology and osteology, diabetology, variants of sexual development, inborn errors of metabolism, obesity, lipid metabolism and nutritional medicine, pediatric neurology, clinical genetics and psychosomatics.
In addition, the general outpatient clinic and emergency clinic are assigned to the department. The pediatric specialist fields consist of their own interdisciplinary teams, most of which offer level 3 care and thus often cover severe chronic or acute disease courses as well as rare disease spectrums. The specialty field of pulmonology includes the care of patients with cystic fibrosis, before and after lung transplantation, and comprehensive diagnostics and therapy for rare lung diseases, such as alveolar proteinoses, ciliary dyskinesias, congenital malformations of the upper and lower respiratory tract, etc. The diagnostic and therapeutic treatment includes bronchoscopy and respiratory physiological examinations including infant hugging as well as training in long-term oxygen therapies.
Clinical specialty fields
Clinical focuses
Cystic fibrosis, lung transplantation, ciliary dyskinesia, chronic interstitial lung diseases, congenital lung malformations, inhalation allergies, food allergies, atopic dermatitis, provocation diagnostics (food, medication)
- Pulmonary diseases – Outpatient and inpatient care for all common and rare lung diseases. Special focus: severe bronchial asthma, ciliary dyskinesias, interstitial lung diseases, complicated pneumonia. Due to limited resources, patients must be assigned according to specific indications.
- Allergological diseases – Special focus areas: food allergy, anaphylaxis, food provocations to confirm the diagnosis, controlled vaccinations for chicken egg allergy, insect venom allergies (initiation of rush immunotherapy), indication and initiation of allergen immunotherapy, drug allergy with indication and implementation of a provocation, severe atopic dermatitis, chronic urticaria . Allergy tests, unless they involve specific questions, are forwarded to allergy outpatient clinics or specialized specialists. If you have any special requests, please contact us personally.
- Cystic Fibrosi – We are the largest pediatric CF center in Austria. Care usually begins after abnormal newborn screening from diagnosis in the 5th to 6th week of life, closely and comprehensively according to the criteria of the European CF Society. Handover to the adult center at Hietzing KH takes place at the age of 18–19.
- Lung transplants in children/adolescents – All lung transplant recipients are cared for by the pulmonology and allergology team before and after the lung transplant at the University Clinic for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine in cooperation with thoracic surgery. The care also includes presentation for evaluation for transplantation in cooperation with thoracic surgery, and furthermore, after handover to the referring bodies (domestic and abroad), close care including outpatient/inpatient re-evaluations.
- Parent and patient training – Asthma, anaphylaxis and neurodermatitis training for children and adolescents in cooperation with outpatient providers.
- Bronchoscopy – The clarification of diseases of the larynx, trachea and bronchi (narrowing, inflammation, foreign bodies, malformations) also requires a bronchoscopy. By collecting secretions, infections with bacteria, viruses, fungi and Pneumocystis can be diagnosed. A brush or forceps biopsy is used to examine interstitial lung diseases, conditions after lung transplantation and cilia samples.
- Respiratory physiology/lung function - Routinely offered: spirometry, body plethysmography, bronchospasmolysis, metacholine and running provocation, lung clearance index, skin prick testing, sweat test, FeNO and nasal NO, diffusion capacity, cilia diagnostics, blood gas analysis, ergometry and spiroergometry.
- Ciliary diagnostics – Our center offers guideline-based clarification of ciliary dyskinesia with nasal NO determination, phase contrast and high-frequency video microscopy, and ALI cell cultures for children, adolescents and adults.
Science
SFB-FWF, Towards Prevention and Therapy of Allergy I, 2011–2015
SFB-FWF, Towards Prevention and Therapy of Allergy II, 2016–2020
DK-FWF, Molecular, Cellular and Clinical Allergy, 2012–2015
DK-FWF, Molecular, Cellular and Clinical Allergy, 2016–2021
FWF, Repurposing hydroxychloroquine, 2018–2022
Karl-Landsteiner Universität, Danube Allergy Research Cluster 2020–2024
Bürgermeisterfonds, SARS CoV-2 Immunität bei Kindern 2022–2025
Best Cilia-BEAT-PCD 2014-ongoing
Klinische Studien bei Cystischer Fibrose, Atopische Dermatitis, Nahrungsmittelallergie, Ziliendyskinesie
International register-based studies Cystic Fibrosis, Ciliary Dyskinesia, Anaphylaxis, serious Asthma
National designation process for ERN LUNG (Cystic Fibrosis and Ciliary Dyskinesia)
since 2024 as B-center, ERN TRANSPLANT-CHILD (lung transplant) as associated center
Job profile
- Tertiary care for all areas of pediatric pulmonology and allergology according to structural criteria. This includes close cooperation with referrers from the private practice and hospital sectors of other facilities.
- Training in the additional subject of pediatric pulmonology (including allergology) in all modules in accordance with the training regulations until 2014 as well as the specialization in pediatric pulmonology from the training regulations 2015 and the specialization in allergology (interdisciplinary) from 2024.
- Further training in pediatric pulmonology and allergology (internship in the respiratory and allergy clinic, CF outpatient clinic, PCD outpatient clinic (primary ciliary dyskinesia), outpatient clinic for lung transplant recipients and in the respiratory physiology laboratory).
Special outpatient clinics
Respiratory and allergy clinic
Head: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Zsolt Szépfalusi
Cystic fibrosis clinic
Head: OÄ Dr.in Saskia Gruber
Lung transplant clinic for children and adolescents
Head: OÄ Dr.in Edith Nachbaur
Clinic for primary ciliary dyskinesia
Head: Priv.-Doz.in Dr.in Eleonora Dehlink, MBA
Collaborators
Collaborators:
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Zsolt Szépfalusi
Priv.-Doz.in Dr.in Eleonora Dehlink, MBA (parental leave)
OÄ Dr.in Saskia Gruber
OÄ Dr.in Edith Nachbaur
OÄ Dr.in Livia Mia Gona-Höpler
OA Dr. René Gaupmann
Dr.in Nicole Martin
Dr.in Justyna Sieber
Dr.in Julia Zehetmayer
Special outpatient clinic for care:
Adriane Graf
Karin Schwab
Carinna Bihal
Julia Hiesberger
Psychology
Mag.a Karoline Prinz
MMag.a Lydia Bieglmayer-Leitner
Respiratory physiotherapy
Kathrin Tinhof
Kevin Cobb
Karin Dam
Elise Nitsche
Dietology
Erich Horak
Julia Damon
Respiratory physiology
Brigitte Mersi
Bianca Pauger
Study supervisor
Priv.-Doz.in Dr.in Eleonora Dehlink, MBA (parental leave)
Dr.in Sabine Renner
Dr.in Saskia Gruber
Dr.in Edith Nachbaur
Dr.in Livia Mia Gona-Höpler
Dr. René Gaupmann
Dr.in Nicole Martin
Dr.in Justyna Sieber
Dr.in Julia Zehetmayer
Dr.in Klara Schmidthaler, BMA
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Zsolt Szépfalusi
Prior appointment
Monday to Thursday 08:00 a.m. – 13:00 p.m.
Tuesday 13:00 p.m – 17:00 Uhr p.m.
Our focuses
- Clinical focuses: rare endocrine and genetic growth disorders, rare diseases of bone and mineralization.
- Endocrine laboratory: diagnostics of the growth hormone axis.
- Science: Basic research: growth, mineralization.
- Clinical research: growth disorders, transition.
- National designation process as a B-center for the above focal points as part of the NAP.se 09/2019 completed, followed by application as a full member of ERN BOND (rare bone diseases). October 2021 completion of the application process at ERN BOND as Vienna Bone and Growth Center through an international audit with a rate of 100% fulfilled quality criteria. First designated full member of an ERN at Medical University Vienna.
Collaborators
Doctors
Univ.-Prof.in Dr.in Gabriele Hartmann
Dr.inAlexandra Ertl
Dr. Adalbert Raimann
Dr. Stefan Riedl
Psychology
Mag.a Dr.in Marianne König, MSc
Our focuses
- Clinical focuses: DMT1 with basic bolus therapy and insulin pump therapy (70%, additionally with continuous subcutaneous glucose measurement), T2DM and other forms of diabetes (e.g. CFRDM, post-TX), congenital hyperinsulinism.
- In summer: 2-day training program (fit for school) for those starting school.
- Science: German-Austrian benchmarking project DPV, international SWEET project, since 2017 Horizon 2020 EU project on the topic of artificial pancreas in young children with T1D.
- Accreditation of the diabetes outpatient clinic as a Center of Reference (only center in Austria)
- Submitted as Center of Excellence Endo-ERN (rare forms of diabetes and hyperinsulinism), currently associated center.
Collaborators
Doctors
Univ.-Prof.in Dr.in Birgit Rami-Merhar
Dr.in Katrin Nagl
Dr.in Nicole Blauensteiner
Dr. Martin Tauschmann
Dietology
Erich Horak
Diabetes advice
Johanna Ribar-Pichler, DGKP
Sonja Katzenbeisser-Pawlik, DGKP
Psychology
Mag.a Dr.in Marianne König, MSc.
MMag.a Lydia Bieglmayer-Leitner
Our focuses
- Clinical focuses: Children and adolescents with variants of gender development, adrenogenital syndrome (AGS), hypogonadism and gender incongruence.
- Science: Participation in the AGS quality assurance program PEDA-QS.
- Submitted as Center of Excellence Endo-ERN (Sex Development and Maturation, MTG7), currently associated center.
Ass.-Prof.in Dr. in Dorothea Möslinger, Dr.in Vassiliki Konstantopoulou
Department HeadsAp.Prof. Doz. Dr. Maximilian Zeyda
Laboratory ManagementOur focuses
- Clinical focuses: Congenital metabolic diseases.
- Laboratory for selective metabolic diagnostics and newborn screening: Laboratory testing and medical diagnosis with telephone consultation for the senders.
- Science: international registry studies: KAMPER, HOS, MARS, E-HOD, EIMD, GOS, EGN, Austrian Metabolic Register.
- Multicenter, Open-Label Phase II Study to Investigate the Safety and Efficacy of Repeated Treatment with Velmanase Alfa (Recombinantly Manufactured Human Alpha-Mannosidase Enzyme) in Pediatric Patients With Alpha-Mannosidosis Under 6 Years of Age (rhLAMAN 08 - CCD- LMZYMAA1-08).
- Markers and algorithms to optimize the early detection of inborn errors of metabolism; Screening and epidemiology of vitamin B12 deficiency in the newborn.
- National designation process for Metab-ERN (inborn errors of metabolism), planned to start at the end of 2019, currently associated center.
Job profile
includes diagnosis, management and therapy of congenital metabolic diseases such as:
- Disorders of carbohydrate and protein metabolism
- Disorders of fatty acid oxidation
- Protein glycosylation disorders
- Mitochondrial diseases
- Lysosomal storage diseases (Gaucher's disease, MPS, ...)
- Peroxisomal diseases
- Neurometabolic diseases
- Adrenoleukodystrophy
- and many more …
both in newborns, children and adolescents as well as in adults.
Collaborators
Doctors
Ass.-Prof.in Dr.in Dorothea Möslinger
Dr.in Vassiliki Konstantopoulou
Dr.in Anne Roscher
Dietology
Mag.a Anna Fekete
Mag.a Gabriele Skacel
Psychology
Dr.in Marion Herle
Our focuses
- Clinical focuses: Dyslipidemias (familial hypercholesterolemia, rare form homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, chylomicronemia, hypertriglyceridemia, lipoprotein (a) and secondary dyslipidemias) and obesity with comorbidities or morbid obesity.
- Science: Phase III drug studies on familial hypercholesterolemia (PCSK 9 inhibitors, ANGPTL3 inhibitor), cooperation study with the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences (FWF) for the methodical evaluation of joint loads in obese adolescents, inflammation and epigenetics in obesity and fatty liver, selective screening for familial hypercholesterolemia ( FH Kids) in the Vienna elementary schools.
- German-Austrian benchmarking project APV, national FH register.
- Integration of dyslipidemias into the national designation process for Metab-ERN (inborn errors of metabolism), planned to start at the end of 2019, currently associated center.
Neuropediatrics includes all neurological diseases in children and adolescents. The clinical functional area of neuropediatrics is assigned to the KCC Neurooncology/Epileptology/Neuropediatrics, but provides consulting care to all wards of the children's clinic for neuropediatric issues.
Our focuses
- Clinical focus: Stroke, dysraphia, neuroinflammation, movement disorders, plexus palsy, perinatal disorders.
- Science: Research focuses on language localization and language development in neurological diseases, movement disorders, neuroimmunology, corpus callosum agenesis and pediatric stroke.
- Associated National Center of the European Reference Network - rare Neurological Diseases (ERN-RND).
The focus of neuropediatric diagnostics and therapy is our neuropediatric outpatient clinic, where patients receive follow-up care after inpatient stays for acute illnesses (stroke, inflammatory CNS diseases, etc.). In the special outpatient clinic, priority is given to outpatient diagnosis and initiation of therapy for specific neuropediatric diseases. These include in particular inflammatory diseases of the nervous system, malformations of the central nervous system, movement disorders and neuromuscular diseases.
Collaborators
Doctors
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Rainer Seidl
Dr.in Sandy Siegert
Neurolinguistics and clinical linguistics
Assoc.Prof. PDin Mag.a Dr.in Elisabeth Bartha-Doering
Psychology
Dr.in Katharina Pal-Handl
Our focuses
- Clinical focus: Rare syndromic diseases with neurological or skeletal symptoms, skeletal dysplasias, paroxymal movement disorders; Clarification and long-term care of selected clinical pictures, consultation assessments for complex clinical pictures of children and adolescents.
- Science: Molecular genetic and functional clarification of monogenetic diseases with a focus on skeletal diseases and neurological movement disorders.
- Part of the national designation process for ERN BOND (rare bone diseases), completed in October 2021, designated full member since then.
Our focuses
- Clinical focus: Chronically ill children in the special areas with psychosocial disorders, ADHD, excretory disorders. We offer the option of day hospital admission to implement therapy.
- Science: Global perspectives and prevention of filicide (anonymous birth) in Austria and Europe; Survey of pain treatment with medical cannabis.
- Virtual realities (VR) with the establishment of a Pediatric Virtual Reality Laboratory (PedVR-Lab) - cross-clinic collaborations with the University Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the University Clinic for Pediatric Surgery as well as within the clinic with the Pediatric Simulation Center.
- Language development disorders: only offer in Austria. Children are assessed in their first language with the help of native speakers.
- Science: Question about linguistic markers of language development disorders in multilingual children (nonword repetition).
You can find more information in the Clinical Core Unit (KCU) for Pediatric Psychosomatics
Outpatient clinics
Around 30,000 patient contacts are counted in the general outpatient clinic and the emergency department every year; an initial assessment for patients in the emergency department has been successfully established here since 2011. Since then, a dedicated triage nurse has been working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, according to the Manchester triage system, to initially assess patients based on clinical urgency. A maximum waiting time is set according to a 5-stage system. This internationally recognized system offers optimization of patient safety by applying transparent and standardized guidelines.
The chronically ill patients are usually connected to a corresponding special outpatient clinic, although if medically necessary they are admitted to the common ward on level 11, which has 12 IMC and 4 normal care beds.
Research and training
Within the department there are also research groups corresponding to the specialist areas, which are extremely successful and achieve 70 impact factors (IF) annually, calculated according to LOM (proportionally) or a total of over 160 IF through original work.
Particularly pleasing are the participation in the FWF research area's focus areas under the title “Towards Prevention and Therapy of Allergy”, a doctoral program MCCA from the FWF and participation in the FWF's KLIF project on food intolerances and characterization of sphingosine 1 phosphate as a biomarker.
In addition, almost all research groups actively participate in international registries as observational studies, quality assurance programs and active clinical studies.
We can offer additional specialist training for two pediatric focus areas, pulmonology/allergology and endocrinology/diabetology.
The KCC Psychosomatics department is considered a recognized training center for specialists in child and adolescent psychiatry for a period of one year.
In addition to national and international lectures, the clinical special areas represent an essential part of the medical curriculum for pediatrics and all scientific staff are actively involved in lectures, internships, seminars, exercises, questionnaires and examination supervision as well as supervision of diploma and doctoral students.