Interstitial Lung Disease

Description: Interstitial lung disease describes a large group of disorders characterized by progressive scarring of the lung tissue between and supporting the air sacs. The scarring associated with interstitial lung disease may cause progressive lung stiffness, eventually affecting your ability to breathe and get enough oxygen into your bloodstream. This disease may be broadly categorized into known and unknown causes. Common known causes include autoimmune or rheumatologic diseases, occupational and organic exposures, medications, and radiation. Interstitial lung disease of unknown cause is predominated by idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a specific and progressive fibrotic lung disease, followed by the idiopathic interstitial pneumonias, such as nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP), and sarcoidosis.

Symptoms and Treatment: The primary signs and symptoms of interstitial lung disease include: Dry cough , Shortness of breath at rest or with exertion. The lung scarring that occurs in interstitial lung disease is often irreversible, and treatment will not always be effective in stopping the ultimate progression of the disease. Treatments fall into two categories: anti-inflammatories or anti-fibrotics. Interstitial lung disease that has a known inflammatory or autoimmune process may benefit from initial anti-inflammatory or Immunosuppressing medications. If there is a known exposure, avoiding the inciting agent is a first step to treatment. Specifically for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, there are two medications now available for slowing the scarring process. Your doctor may work with other doctors, such as a rheumatologist or cardiologist, to optimize your care.

Out of the estimated population 16,318,1992 Right Diagnosis conducted a survey and concludes that the extrapolated incidence of Interstitial lung disease patients was found to be 21,871