Introduction Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a devastating progressive lung disease
with an average survival of only 3 to 5 years. The mechanisms underlying the initiation and
progression of IPF are poorly understood, and treatments available have only modest effect
on disease progression. Interestingly, the incidence of IPF is approximately 60 times more
common in individuals aged 75 years and older, but the mechanism by which aging
promotes fibrosis is unclear. The authors hypothesized that aged lungs have a profibrotic …