Pulmonary Fibrosis: one manifestation, various diseases

A form of interstitial lung disease, pulmonary fibrosis (PF) causes scarring in the lungs. There are over 200 different types of PF and in most cases, there is no known cause. The most important categories of PF are:

1) With approximately 50,000 new cases diagnosed each year, the most common type of PF, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is termed idiopathic because it has no known cause. While it is more common in men, the number of cases of IPF in women is increasing rapidly. Initial symptoms frequently begin in subjects aged between 50 and 70 years.

2) Familial PF is very rare. Even though certain genes have been linked to PF little is known about this field.

3) PF secondary to other diseases. Autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis or Sjogren's syndrome can cause some cases of PF. PF may also be secondary to viral infections (e.g. COVID-19) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

4) PF from exposure to different materials, including naturally occurring (e.g. bird or animal droppings) and occupational (e.g. asbestos or silica). Furthermore, smoking, radiation treatments, and certain drugs can increase risk of developing PF.

This Research Topic aims to evaluate for all different types of pulmonary fibrosis, etiology, diagnosis and therapy.

The goal of this special edition Research Topic is to underline the progress made in the past decade in the pulmonary fibrosis field.

Another objective of this Special Issue is to pay particular attention to new discoveries relating the use of innovative tests and treatments to inform, help and provide direction and guidance for clinicians to ameliorate the management of PF.

All types of manuscripts, including original studies, literature reviews and brief and/or extended reports are of interest. All material must cover pulmonary fibrosis (PF) studied and documented by clinical and/or test evaluations.

Keywords: Pulmonary fibrosis, interstitial lung disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), familial pulmonary fibrosis, autoimmune diseases

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.