title: Smoking-Related "Interstitial" Lung Disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Emphysema, respiratory bronchiolitis, desquamative interstitial pneumonia, pulmonary Langerhans' cell histiocytosis, small-airway injury including submucosal and adventitial fibrosis, increased bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue, and small artery/arteriolar wall thickening are recognized histologic findings in cigarette smokers. It has only recently been acknowledged that the range of lung injury from cigarette smoke is wider than generally accepted, in particular, there is increasing recognition that fibrosis of alveolar walls occurs in smokers.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To review the literature that describes the range of histologic findings in cigarette smokers and that links cigarette smoke exposure to the development of alveolar wall fibrosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Relevant peer-reviewed literature indexed in PubMed (National Library of Medicine) form the basis of this review.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Smokers demonstrate a wide range of lung injury at biopsy that defies simple placement within single categories, and the current categories do not adequately take into account the importance of alveolar wall and airway fibrosis.
authors.affiliation: From Pulmonary and Mediastinal Pathology, The Joint Pathology Center, Silver Spring, Maryland (Dr Franks); and the Departments of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Chest Imaging Section, and Internal Medicine, Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, and Chest Imaging, American Institute for Radiologic Pathology, Silver Spring, Maryland (Dr Galvin).
authors.forename: Teri J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Franks
authors.forename: Jeffrey R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Galvin
mesh_terms: D001980:Bronchi / Q000473:pathology*; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D017563:Lung Diseases, Interstitial / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000473:pathology*; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*