The Role of Inflammation and Fibrosis in Interstitial Lung Disease Treatment Decisions.

The article summarizes knowledge on inflammation and fibrosis in interstitial lung disease (ILD), with the relative burden of each in an individual patient gleaned by considering several domains, including clinical history and lung function, imaging, laboratory including bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), and histopathology. Topics discussed include prediction of disease behavior and first-line treatment decision, inflammation in ILD, and fibrosis in ILD.