Pulmonary Fibrosis: one manifestation, various diseases

This research topic collection entitled “Pulmonary Fibrosis: one manifestation, various diseases”, involving authors from different countries, confirms that this disease is a hot topic (Confalonieri P et al.,2022, Orlandi M et al., 2022). There are over 200 different types of pulmonary fibrosis (PF), the most common is the idiopathic pulmonary fbrosis (IPF), called idiopathic because it has no known cause. Another rare form is familial PF, for which several studies reported correlation with few genes. An important group of PF are due to other diseases, for example, autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis or Sjogren’s syndrome (Ruaro et al., 2022, Trombetta AC et al., 2017, Bernero Eet al., 2013). PF could correlate to viral infections (e.g. COVID-19), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) (Baratella E et al, 2021, Ruaro et al., 2018), and the exposure to various materials (including naturally occurring such as bird or animal droppings, and occupational such as asbestos or silica). Furthermore, smoking, radiation treatments, and certain drugs can increase risk of developing PF.