Lung scarring linked to flare-ups in chronic lung disease

In both disease cohorts, more scarring at the start was linked to future flare-ups, independently of emphysema—damage to lung air sacs—and airway wall thickness. The hazard ratios were 1.39 and 3.35, respectively. Higher baseline scarring was also linked to mortality at Kyoto University, with a similar trend at Kyoto-Himeji. In the Kyoto University cohort, increases in scarring over a median 4.98 years were linked to more frequent flare-ups. Patients with greater increases subsequently had higher mortality.