Symptoms and signs of respiratory disease:

- to address the symptoms and the signs of respiratory disease commonly encountered by the pulmonologist
- to understand the significance of the most important pulmonary function tests (spirometry, lung volume measurement, bronchodilator response, diffusing capacity, bronchoprovocation and measurements of arterial blood gases)

- to address the principles of thoracic imaging
- to address the principles of bronchial endoscopy

Bronchial asthma:

- to review the current definition of asthma
- to understand the epidemiology, the pathology and pathophysiology of asthma

- to learn the clinical presentation and to address the diagnosis

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease:

- to review the current definition of COPD
- to understand the epidemiology, the pathology and pathophysiology of COPD
- to learn the clinical presentation and to address the diagnosis (differential diagnosis between asthma and COPD)

Pneumonia:

- to review the epidemiology, the clinical features and the diagnostic methods of comunity-acquired pneumonia and nosocomial pneumonia

Interstitial and inflammatory lung diseases:

- to describe the salient epidemiologic, clinical, physiologic, and radiologic features of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and sarcoidosis

Respiratory failure:

- to review the definition and to understand the pathophysiologic classification
- to describe the clinical presentation and the therapeutical approach

Sleep apnea syndrome:

- to understand the definition, the epidemiology, the pathophysiology, the clinical presentation and the therapeutical approach, with special reference to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.