Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis: A Critical Review of Treatment Modalities and the New Era of Antifibrotic Therapies
The primary goal in treating Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis (HP), an interstitial lung disease caused by an immune response to an inhaled organic antigen, is to stop the inflammatory process and prevent irreversible scarring. Diagnosis must be swift, as early disease stages are often completely reversible, but chronic exposure leads to potentially fatal pulmonary fibrosis. The foundation of therapy for all phenotypes of HP—acute, non-fibrotic, and chronic fibrotic—remains the immediate and complete avoidance of the causative antigen, which, when successful, can allow the lung tissue to heal fully.
Corticosteroids and The Emerging Role of Antifibrotic Agents in Chronic HP
While systemic glucocorticoids (like prednisone) are frequently used to quickly suppress inflammation and improve symptoms, especially in acute and severe non-fibrotic cases, their long-term benefit in preventing chronic fibrotic progression is limited. For patients with the aggressive chronic…