Response by the lung to inhaled cigarette smoke varies widely between individuals
and ranges from subclinical respiratory bronchiolitis to end-stage Langerhans' cell
histiocytosis. The variety of interstitial lung diseases associated with cigarette
smoking is wider than generally appreciated, and these often coexist. An understanding
of the pathological basis of smoking-related lung disease helps to explain the sometimes
complex patterns encountered on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). The recent
refinement of the classification of the idiopathic interstitial pneumonias and the
longitudinal study of cigarette smokers with HRCT has furthered understanding of what
should be regarded as an overlapping group of entities. In this article the individual
interstitial diseases ascribable to cigarette smoking are discussed in terms of their
pathology and corresponding HRCT signs. Emphasis is placed on the frequent coexistence
of various forms of smoking-related interstitial lung disease.
Computed tomography - pathology - pathogenesis - idiopathic interstitial pneumonia
- cigarette smoking