Acute exacerbation of IPF has systemic consequences with multiple organ injury, with SRA+ and TNF-α+ cells in the systemic circulation playing central roles in multiple organ injury

The pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are not fully understood. Few studies have examined autopsy findings in patients who have died from an acute exacerbation of IPF. The pathologic findings in systemic organs have not been described.