Air pollution exposure: a novel environmental risk factor for interstitial lung disease?

Abstract

Air pollution exposure is a well-established risk factor for several adverse respiratory outcomes, including airways diseases and lung cancer. Few studies have investigated the relationship between air pollution and interstitial lung disease (ILD) despite many forms of ILD arising from environmental exposures. There are potential mechanisms by which air pollution could cause, exacerbate, or accelerate the progression of certain forms of ILD via pulmonary and systemic inflammation as well as oxidative stress. This article will review the current epidemiologic and translational data supporting the plausibility of this relationship and propose a new conceptual framework for characterizing novel environmental risk factors for these forms of lung disease.

Figure 1 –

Proposed relationship between air pollution exposure and interstitial lung disease. Proposed mechanisms by which air pollution exposure could trigger the development of ILD in a genetically susceptible individual. Via oxidative stress, inflammation, and telomere shortening, air pollution may also result in acute exacerbation and/or disease progression in an individual with established ILD. ILD = interstitial lung disease.