Patient case (clinical description): A 47-year-old man comes to the office for routine checkup. He is complaining of chronic cough and occasional but progressive dyspnea.  Other medical conditions include hypertension and osteoarthritis.  The patient smokes a pack of cigarettes daily and does not use alcohol or illicit drugs.  He used to be a construction worker. On examination, there are decreased breath sounds and percussive dullness at the base of both lungs.  Chest CT scan reveals a mild bilateral pleural effusion and diffuse thickening of the pleura. The patient's documents show chronic exposure to asbestosis. The specimen of the lungs reveled  pulmonary fibrosis that is most predominant in the lower lobes, characterized  by the presence of asbestos bodies (golden-brown beaded rods with translucent centers).

Patient's own account: I'm a 47-year-old former construction worker. I'm a man and I smoke a pack of cigs a day but I don't drink or do drugs. I went to my routine checkup because I've been coughing so much lately. I also had shortness of breath and it got worse over time. I already suffer from hypertension and osteoarthritis. My doctor found that I have decreased breath sounds. I did a chest scan and it seems that I have fluid around my lungs, and the lining of my lungs has become thicker in many areas. I have been exposed a lot to asbestos fibers. The other lung exam showed that I have pulmonary fibrosis, especially in the lower part of my lungs and they found some asbestos there.

Clinical trial: Conducting Airways in Lung Fibrosis (VACFI)

Eligibility criteria:
IPF :

        INCLUSION CRITERIA

          1. Age 18-85 years

          2. IPF diagnosed according to ATS/ERS/JRS/ALAT criteria

          3. Patient gave informed consent

        NON INCLUSION CRITERIA

          1. Presence of respiratory comorbidities : Asthma, COPD, bronchiectasis, emphysema,
             tuberculosis sequelae, prior lung surgery

          2. Obstructive ventilatory disorder

          3. Counterindication to pulmonary function testing

          4. Women : Pregnancy or milking

          5. Lack of health insurance

        Controls :

        INCLUSION CRITERIA

          1. Volunteers aged 18-85 years, free of any respiratory disease

          2. Volunteer gave informed consent

        Secondary EXCLUSION CRITERIA Abnormal PFT : Total lung capacity or FEV1/VC ratio < Lower
        Limit of Normal

        Non-IPF ILD :

        INCLUSION CRITERIA

          1. Age 18-85 years

          2. Radiological interstitial pneumonia, on 2 tests performed >3 months apart

          3. PINS histology OR sarcoidosis histology OR clinical diagnosis of drug-induced lung
             disease OR diagnosis of auto-immune disease

          4. Patient gave informed consent

        NON INCLUSION CRITERIA

          1. Presence of respiratory comorbidities : Asthma, COPD, bronchiectasis, emphysema,
             tuberculosis sequelae, prior lung surgery

          2. Obstructive ventilatory disorder

          3. Counterindication to pulmonary function testing

          4. Women : Pregnancy or milking

          5. Lack of health insurance

        Uncharacterized ILD :

        INCLUSION CRITERIA

          1. Age 18-85 years

          2. Radiological interstitial pneumonia, on 2 tests performed >3 months apart

          3. Patient gave informed consent

        NON INCLUSION CRITERIA

          1. Presence of respiratory comorbidities : Asthma, COPD, bronchiectasis, emphysema,
             tuberculosis sequelae, prior lung surgery

          2. Obstructive ventilatory disorder

          3. Counterindication to pulmonary function testing

          4. Women : Pregnancy or milking

          5. Lack of health insurance

        Secondary EXCLUSION CRITERIA Final diagnosis other than either IPF or non-IPF interstitial
        pneumonia.
No condition on gender to be admitted to the trial.
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Subject must be at least 18 Years old.
Subject must be at most 85 Years

Eligibility (NLI label): Entailment