Antifibrotic Therapy for the Treatment of Pulmonary Fibrosis

Lasky, Joseph A. MD
Ortiz, Luis A. MD

From the Section of Pulmonary Diseases, Critical Care and Environmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Tulane University Medical Center, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Submitted February 1, 2001; accepted June 28, 2001.

This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants ES10046 (jal) and HL03569 (lao).

Correspondence: Joseph A. Lasky, M.D., Tulane University Medical Center, 1430 Tulane Ave., SL-9, New Orleans, LA 70112 (E-mail: [email protected]).

American Journal of the Medical Sciences 322(4):p 213-221, October 2001.

Fibroproliferative lung disease is prevalent and associated with high mortality. The pathogenesis of fibrotic lung disease involves inflammation, mesenchymal cell proliferation, and deposition of interstitial matrix components, such as collagen and fibronectin. Corticosteroids and other immunosuppressive medications have been routinely employed, but have demonstrated only marginal efficacy. Even though this information has been known for some time, the optimal medical regimen for treating pulmonary fibrosis remains largely undefined. This article addresses the rationale for, and efficacy of, antifibrotic regimens used to treat humans with fibrotic lung diseases.