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Fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonitis is a complex interstitial lung disease that is not entirely understood. In its chronic and fibrotic form, hypersensitivity pneumonitis is one of the main mimickers of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Distinguishing between these two conditions is challenging but is of particular clinical relevance. Two approved therapies are available for IPF, and a considerable number of clinical trials are now exploring newer pharmacological options. This impressive research effort is a consequence of new pathogenetic understanding, updated diagnostic criteria and a long history of pharmacological trials. Conversely, current knowledge gaps on pathogenesis of chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis, coupled with lack of validated diagnostic criteria, make the management of this disease an unsolved clinical challenge. This also reflects the paucity of therapeutic clinical trials in this field. In this review, we describe the current evidence and the possible future options to approach this complex disease.

Background: Immunosuppressive therapy has been - until the recent release of new guidelines on diagnosis and management - the recommended treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. However, its efficacy in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis has always been a matter of debate. Case presentation: We report the occurrence of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in a white man receiving chronic immunosuppressive treatment following a heart transplant. Conclusions: This case report suggests that the immune mechanisms targeted by azathioprine and cyclosporine do not play a role in the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most common and most lethal diffuse fibrosing lung disease, with an increasing incidence and a mortality rate that exceeds that of many types of cancer. At present, there is no effective standard treatment recommended by guideline documents. As such, the unmet medical need is high. Recently, several high-quality clinical trials, evaluating safety and efficacy of different novel molecules, have been concluded. The results have mostly been disappointing, although some compounds have shown promising results. In particular, pirfenidone seems to be the most advanced molecule for IPF treatment, having been approved in Europe, Japan and India. Nintedanib, a triple kinase inhibitor, has almost completed enrolment of Phase III trials, based on promising Phase II results. Randomized controlled trials still represent a valid choice for IPF patients, and their completion is critically important to achieving the ultimate goal of curing IPF. Future approaches will probably include the evaluation of currently available agents alone and in combination, the identification of novel drugs with pleiotropic actions, and trials with validated, weighted composite endpoints.