Fibrosis: The sixth element

Disease-related injury in any organ triggers a complex cascade of cellular and molecular responses that culminates in tissue fibrosis.This monograph describes the molecular, cellular and immunological characteristics that occur in an inflammatory process, until it ends in fibrosis; and particularly when the phenomenon persists, leading to an activation that does not remit from the effector cells, chronifying the process, healing the tissue or the organ, generating specific pathologies and dysfunction.The article is illustrated with some examples of fibrotic diseases, discussing their pathogenesis, clinical picture and treatment, particularly in light of new immunopathogenic findings.The preponderant role of early therapeutic interventions to block the evolution towards tissue scar is highlighted.In the end, recommendations are made about the avenues of investigation that must be followed in this final stage of the inflammatory process.