title: Improvement in idiopathic nonspecific interstitial pneumonia after smoking cessation.
abstract: Although cigarette smoking has been recognized as a risk factor for the development of several interstitial lung diseases, the relationship between smoking and nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) has not yet been fully elucidated. We here present a case of fibrotic NSIP with mild emphysema in an elderly male with normal pulmonary function, whose symptoms, serum KL-6 level, and high-resolution computed tomography findings of interstitial changes markedly improved without medication following the cessation of smoking. Our case suggests that smoking may be an etiological factor in some patients with NSIP and that early smoking cessation before a clinically detectable decline in pulmonary function may be critical for smokers with idiopathic NSIP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Investigation, National Hospital Organization National Kochi Hospital, 1-2-25 Asakuranishimachi, Kochi 780-8077, Japan.
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shinohara
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary Medicine, National Hospital Organization National Kochi Hospital, 1-2-25 Asakuranishimachi, Kochi 780-8077, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kadota
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic Surgery, National Hospital Organization National Kochi Hospital, 1-2-25 Asakuranishimachi, Kochi 780-8077, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hino
authors.affiliation: Division of Pathology, National Hospital Organization National Kochi Hospital, 1-2-25 Asakuranishimachi, Kochi 780-8077, Japan.
authors.forename: Keishi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Naruse
authors.affiliation: Division of Pathology, Matsuyama-Shimin Hospital, 2-6-5 Ootemachi, Matsuyama, Ehime 790-0067, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohtsuki
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary Medicine, National Hospital Organization National Kochi Hospital, 1-2-25 Asakuranishimachi, Kochi 780-8077, Japan.
authors.forename: Fumitaka
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ogushi
keywords: Cigarette smoking; Fibrotic lung diseases; HRCT; KL-6