Restrictive lung diseases: Pathology review

A 58-year-old man presents to his primary care PA with progressive shortness of breath over the past year. He reports he is otherwise healthy and does not take any medications daily. He works as an accountant and smokes two to three cigarettes on the weekend. The patient is lost to follow-up, and several years later, the patient requires a bilateral lung transplantation. Pathologic evaluation of the patient’s lungs reveals a honeycomb pattern with fibrotic walls most prominent in the subpleural and perilobular regions. Which of the following best describes the underlying pathophysiology of this patient’s condition?