Respiratory bronchiolitis interstitial lung disease

Respiratory bronchiolitis-associated interstitial lung disease (RBILD) was recognized in the early 1980s. The patients were smokers or former smokers. It was originally thought to be a disease similar to desquamative interstitial pneumonia (DIP) in pathology; however, RBILD and DIP are now considered to be manifestations of the different severity of small airway and parenchymal injury caused by smoking. That is, two different outcomes of the same disease; even advocates replacing RIP with DIP. There is no consensus on this.

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