The cells were spindle shaped and expressed collagen 1, vimentin and prolyl-4-hydroxylase, without expression of desmin, pancytokeratin, CD14, CD31, or CD34.After 28 days of culture, fibroblasts grew from 0/9 of the BAL control cultures (two cultures were stopped because of infection), 12/26 BAL of the IPF patients (P = 0.014 versus controls) and 5/9 of the SSc-ILD patients (P = 0.03 versus controls). Here, VIM is linked to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.