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There is very limited data on treatment and follow-up of smoking-related interstitial fibrosis. One study reported that corticosteroids were not beneficial. Smoking cessation resulted in stable/non-progressive disease after several years of follow-up. Improvements in pulmonary function tests with smoking cessation have also been documented. [7]
Pulmonary fibrosis is a condition in which the lungs become scarred over time. [1] Symptoms include shortness of breath , a dry cough, feeling tired, weight loss, and nail clubbing . [ 1 ] Complications may include pulmonary hypertension , respiratory failure , pneumothorax , and lung cancer .
When associated with disease, it is known as "Respiratory bronchiolitis-associated interstitial lung disease" or "RB-ILD". [4] Also, this disease is predominantly found in the upper lobe with centrilobar ground glass nodules. Importantly, no fibrosis is involved, just bronchial wall thickening. Treatment is to stop smoking.
The median survival in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is 3-3.5 years. In those who receive a lung transplant, the medial survival in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is 5.2 years, as compared to 6.7 years in those with other types of ILD. [8] ILD is associated with a 3-fold increased risk of lung cancer. [8]
Smoking-related interstitial fibrosis (SRIF) is another type of fibrosis that occurs in emphysematous lungs and can be identified by pathologists. Unlike CPFE, this type of fibrosis is usually clinically occult (i.e., does not cause symptoms or imaging abnormalities).
Idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP), or noninfectious pneumonia [1] are a class of diffuse lung diseases. These diseases typically affect the pulmonary interstitium, although some also have a component affecting the airways (for instance, cryptogenic organizing pneumonitis). There are seven recognized distinct subtypes of IIP. [2]
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) synonymous with cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis [5] is a rare, progressive illness of the respiratory system, characterized by the thickening and stiffening of lung tissue, associated with the formation of scar tissue.
Differential diagnosis includes non-specific interstitial pneumonia, pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis, respiratory bronchiolitis-associated interstitial lung disease, and hypersensitivity pneumonia. DIP is primarily treated by quitting smoking, but it may not be enough in all cases.