Interstitial lung disease (ILD) can be considered an umbrella term for a large number of conditions involving inflammation and scarring in the lungs. It can come from a range of causes, including occupational exposures such as asbestosis or silicosis, environmental factors like animal exposure, or idiopathic pulmonary issues. The diagnosis and management of the disease can vary from region to region, and its prevalence is increasing around the world.

Social media editor Dr. Kate Diomede is joined by the associate editors Sheetu Singh¹ and Nazia Chaudhuri², who have commissioned a series of articles on ILD in Thorax.

Read the articles:

• State of the art review: Holistic management of symptom burden in ILD
• Challenging the status quo for clinical trials in fibrotic interstitial lung diseases
• Treatable traits in interstitial lung disease: towards precision medicine
• Breaking with Convention: The role of lymphocytes in IPF
• Epithelial damage and ageing: the perfect storm
• Global perspective on pulmonary fibrosis: epidemiology, regional variations, gaps in care, and future directions

1. Director ILD & Pulmonary Rehab Clinic, Rajasthan Hospital, Jaipur, India; Thorax associate editor ILD

2. Consultant Respiratory Medicine & Senior Clinical Lecturer, Ulster University, Northern Ireland; Chair of British Thoracic Society ILD Registry; Thorax associate editor ILD

Please engage in the conversation through the social media channels (Twitter - @ThoraxBMJ; Facebook - Thorax.BMJ) and subscribe on your preferred platform, to get the latest episodes directly on your device each month. We would love to hear your thoughts on the podcast, you can leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Previous trials on triple therapy inhaler use (ETHOS and IMPACT) were understood to show a reduction in mortality in COPD patients. However, a reanalysis published in Thorax shows that this benefit may have been misattributed. Host Dr. Kate Diomede is joined by the paper's authors, pharmacist Kari Leung¹ and physician Prof. Aroon Hingorani², both members of the ​North Central London Joint Formulary committee.

Read the paper: Inhaled corticosteroid withdrawal and mortality rate in trials of triple therapy inhalers for COPD

Further reading: Withdrawal of fluticasone propionate from combined salmeterol/fluticasone treatment in patients with COPD causes immediate and sustained disease deterioration: a randomised controlled trial

1. UCL Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK 2. University College London, London, UK

Please engage in the conversation through the social media channels (Twitter - @ThoraxBMJ; Facebook - Thorax.BMJ) and subscribe on your preferred platform, to get the latest episodes directly on your device each month. We would love to hear your thoughts on the podcast, you can leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

In this episode, Thorax social media editor Dr. Kate Diomede speaks to Dr. Susan Muiser¹, author of a research paper based on the NOVELTY study that included over 12,000 patients globally with asthma, COPD, or asthma plus COPD. The research sought to find potential biomarkers that could link to exacerbations in these patients, giving consideration to blood eosinophils and fractional exhaled nitric oxide as possible candidates which could give insight into disease progression and treatment response. Read the paper: Association of blood eosinophils and exhaled nitric oxide with exacerbations in patients with asthma, COPD and asthma+COPD: the NOVELTY study

1. Department of Pulmonology, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands

Please engage in the conversation through the social media channels (Twitter - @ThoraxBMJ; Facebook - Thorax.BMJ) and subscribe on your preferred platform, to get the latest episodes directly on your device each month. We would love to hear your thoughts on the podcast, you can leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.