Big Things Have Small Beginnings: Clinical Implications of Early Interstitial Lung Disease
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and other forms of fibrotic interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) often follow a relentlessly progressive course, with median survival frequently cited as 3–4 years from diagnosis (1). However, this number is misleading, as it depends on how advanced the disease is at the time that it is identified (2). With the increasing use of computed tomography (CT) imaging in the 21st century, earlier detection of ILD has become more common, revealing that pulmonary fibrosis can take
