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: Analysis of Specimens From Individuals With Pulmonary Fibrosis

Eligibility criteria:
-  INCLUSION CRITERIA:

        Individuals who are 18 years of age or older with any of the following:

          1. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis [defined by the American Thoracic Society/European
             Respiratory Society guidelines],

          2. Familial pulmonary fibrosis [defined as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in two or more
             first-degree relatives],

          3. Relatives of patients with hereditary pulmonary fibrosis,

          4. Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (diagnosed by paucity or deficiency of platelet dense bodies
             on whole mount electron microscopy or by genetic testing),

          5. Pulmonary fibrosis associated with collagen vascular diseases or autoinflammatory
             disorders,

          6. Pulmonary fibrosis post-COVID-19 [i.e., pulmonary fibrosis in an individual recovering
             from SARS-CoV-2 infection], or

          7. Healthy research volunteers by history and indicated tests (individuals without
             history of chronic pulmonary disorder, collagen vascular disease, or bleeding
             disorder).

        EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

        Individuals with any of the following:

          1. Significant inhalational exposure to fibrogenic fibers or dusts or exposure to drugs
             associated with pulmonary fibrosis,

          2. Uncontrolled ischemic heart disease,

          3. Uncorrectable bleeding diathesis,

          4. Pregnancy or lactation, or

          5. Inability to give informed consent.
No condition on gender to be admitted to the trial.
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Subject must be at least 18 Years old.


Eligibility (NLI label): Entailment