TY - JOUR T1 - Anti-elastin autoantibodies are not present in combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J SP - 219 LP - 221 DO - 10.1183/09031936.00140208 VL - 33 IS - 1 AU - V. Cottin AU - N. Fabien AU - C. Khouatra AU - A. Moreira AU - J-F. Cordier Y1 - 2009/01/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/33/1/219.abstract N2 - To the Editors: Whereas tobacco smoking is a well-established risk factor for the development and progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the molecular basis for individual predisposition and disease progression remains largely unknown. Immunological processes and especially autoreactive immune processes have recently been implicated, with anti-elastin antibodies and a T-helper type-1 lymphocyte response identified in patients with COPD/emphysema 1. Immune mechanisms are also implicated in interstitial lung disease and pulmonary fibrosis 2, and smoking-induced autoimmunity has been demonstrated in rheumatoid arthritis 3. We explored whether an autoimmune process implicating anti-elastin autoantibodies and facilitated by tobacco smoking may take place in patients with combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE), a distinct entity recently defined on the basis of characteristic features of chest imaging, pulmonary function and outcome 4. Patients with CPFE, diagnosed within … ER -