Integration of active specific immunotherapy and cell therapy into the protocols of biomedical management of interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features – A case study

Abstract

Non-specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) is the second most common morphological and pathological pattern of interstitial lung diseases. A significant proportion of patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) manifest autoimmune features consisting, among others, of a morphologic domain with multi-compartment involvement and specific autoantibodies, as well as association to other autoimmune pathologies, such as systemic lupus erythematous, rheumatoid arthritis and Hashimoto thyroiditis. The symptoms of non-specific interstitial include insidious onset of dyspnea and dry cough with a restrictive pattern of decreased lung function and reduced gas exchange capacity. Corticosteroids, anti-fibrotics and immunosuppressants are the classical protocol to treat the condition, but management should be carefully individualized due to the wide heterogeneity of IPAF and lack of evidence in this particular subgroup of patients. The multidisciplinary immunological approach with xenogeneic and/or autologous peptides and its derived immune extracts might be a way to induce autoimmune tolerance, based on the anergy mechanism of secretion of immunomodulatory cytokines, such as IL-10 and transforming growth factor- β (TGF- β ) and T-regulatory cells. Here we report a clinical case of 47 years old woman with IPAF and organized pneumonia (OP) with rheumatic complications addressed integrativelly with the autologous Active Specific Immunotherapy (ASI), xenogeneic peptide immunotherapy, ozone autohemotherapy and nutritional antioxidants perfusion. The integrative biomedical program was run from July 2019 until February 2020 with stabilization of lung degeneration and compliances, consequent modulation of chronic inflammation, progressive reduction of dry cough and joint pain, less fatigue, better sleep quality, overall energy and further decreasing of pharmaceutical’s dosage. This article opens a scientific discussion on how to address positively to chronic autoimmune conditions within the use of biomedical multifunctional and natural tools like autologous and xenogeneic immunotherapy in combination with a more conservative pharmaceutical protocol.