Airway involvement in interstitial lung disease

Abstract

Purpose of review: After briefly discussing several ways to approach airway involvement in interstitial lung diseases - by diagnostic methodologies used to assess it, considering different topographical involvement, related to its presence in the diffuse lung diseases with higher prevalence, or from a causal point of view - the author describes in more detail, taking into account recent literature, new proposed entities combining airways (at different levels) and interstitial damage, like airway-centered interstitial fibrosis and acute fibrinous organizing pneumonia.

Recent findings: These proposed patterns are being discussed, as possible autonomic interstitial lung disease disorders, and also from the perspective of its relationship with the main differential diagnosis, within known interstitial pictures.

Summary: Thus, airway-centered interstitial fibrosis and acute fibrinous organizing pneumonia may widen the spectrum of the yet described long list of interstitial lung diseases, and its diagnosis may be considered, under specific circumstances, when there is airway involvement associated with interstitial damage.