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Genetic Analysis of Sporadic and Familial Interstitial Pneumonia

¹ National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland

Correspondence and requests for reprints should be addressed to David A. Schwartz, M.D., National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. E-mail: david.schwartz{at}niehs.nih.gov

ABSTRACT

Although much progress has been made in understanding the biology and clinical course of interstitial pneumonia, the etiology of this disease remains elusive. Epidemiologic studies have consistently identified cigarette smoke as an important exposure; however, most smokers do not develop interstitial pneumonia and many individuals with interstitial pneumonia do not smoke cigarettes. Moreover, interstitial pneumonias have been reported to cluster in families. Thus, a more thorough understanding of the genetic etiology of interstitial pneumonia may prove critically important in defining the biology and clinical course of this complex human disease.

Key Words: genetics • familial interstitial pneumonia • pulmonary fibrosis