Update in Diffuse Parenchymal Lung Disease 2012

Abstract

In 2012, relevant articles were published in the area of diffuse parenchymal lung diseases (DPLDs). Most of them were focused on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), the most aggressive DPLD, others on sarcoidosis, and some on less common disorders such as lymphangioleiomyomatosis. Studies in IPF revealed novel pathogenic mechanisms, putative biomarkers to predict outcome, and recently completed clinical trials, whereas in sarcoidosis most studies dealt with the identification of gene variants associated with increased risk. The concept of subclinical interstitial lung disease (ILD), meaning the presence of functional restriction or chest tomographic abnormalities in asymptomatic subjects, was underlined by two population-based studies, and our journal housed an important debate on the clinically meaningful endpoints needed to evaluate the treatment of IPF. This update highlights the advancesmade over the past year, primarily focused on those published in this journal.