Diagnosis and Management of Inflammatory Respiratory Diseases

Dear Colleagues,

Inflammatory respiratory diseases are a global health issue; they encompass a wide variety of acute and chronic conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). With dysregulated immunity and chronic inflammation in the airways and pulmonary parenchyma, inflammatory respiratory disease is a frequent source of morbidity and mortality and translates into significant healthcare costs globally. Significant progress has been made in recent decades regarding the clarification of the cellular and molecular basis for inflammation in the airways. The roles of eosinophils and neutrophils, Th2/Th17 immunity, and cytokine deregulation are understood more distinctly today, and more accurate diagnostic criteria and new therapeutic strategies can now be crafted. Advances in molecular diagnosis, high-resolution imaging, and the integration of omics technologies have revolutionized the promise for the diagnosis of disease subtypes (endotypes and phenotypes) and the implementation of more personalized and precision medicine strategies for care.

Despite these advances, important challenges persist. Disease presentation heterogeneity, overlapping pathophysiological processes, and scarcity of early detection and treatment response biomarkers still hamper clinical management. In addition, the role of environment and occupational contributors, including air exposure and smoking, and the complex interplay between these agents and host genetics and modulation of the host immune response, again emphasize the requirement for multidisciplinary research efforts.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, entitled “Diagnosis and Management of Inflammatory Respiratory Diseases”. Inflammatory respiratory diseases—such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchiectasis, interstitial lung diseases, eosinophilic lung disorders, and other immune-mediated pulmonary conditions—pose significant challenges to global health due to their chronic nature, complex etiology, and rising prevalence. Understanding their underlying inflammatory mechanisms and improving diagnostic and therapeutic strategies remain essential priorities in respiratory medicine.

This Special Issue aims to collate high-quality research and reviews that advance our understanding of the pathogenesis, diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of inflammatory respiratory diseases. This research subject aligns with Diagnostics’ scope, focusing on translational and clinical research that addresses pulmonary disease mechanisms, biomarker development, imaging, drug therapy, and personalized medicine approaches. This Special Issue seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of innovations that can enhance patient care and clinical outcomes in this evolving field.

For this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome to be submitted. Research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Molecular and cellular mechanisms of airway and lung inflammation;
• Advances in diagnostic imaging and lung function assessment;
• Biomarkers for disease activity, severity, or therapeutic response;
• Management strategies for asthma, COPD, bronchiectasis, and ILDs;
• Role of the microbiome and environmental exposures;
• Immunopathology and immune-modulating therapies;
• Personalized and precision medicine in respiratory care;
• Emerging technologies and AI applications in diagnosis and monitoring.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Kęstutis Malakauskas
Dr. Andrius Januskevicius
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diagnostics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.