The invention is in the field of methods and preparations for medical treatments, in particular the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The invention provides such methods wherein antibodies or fragments thereof that react with selected citrullinated epitopes are used in the treatment of IPF. Antibodies against citrullinated epitopes situated at the amino terminus of histone polypeptides H2A and H4 were found to be particularly useful. The invention therefore relates to an antibody specifically reactive with a citrullinated epitope on the N-terminus of deiminated histone H2A or H4 for use in the prevention or treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.