Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema a unique case report

Smoking is associated with a spectrum of disease like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Langerhan cell histiocytosis, Respiratory bronchiolitis, Desquamative interstitial pneumonia and Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis have dissimilar physiologic effects. Clinically, either emphysema or fibrosis typically predominates and individual patients are rarely recognized as having both disorders simultaneously. Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema is a recently recognised radiologically defined syndrome. In this syndrome two different disease states, emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis coexist and manifest into a unique and distinct disease state that differs from either of the two components. Thesepatients have a different natural history, complications, and mortality than those with pulmonary fibrosis or emphysema alone.