Interstitial Lung Disease: Causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment

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Interstitial Lung Disease
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Interstitial Lung Disease

• Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a group
  of lung disorders that affect the interstitium of
  the lungs. Interstitium refers to those tissues
  that surround the alveoli or tiny air sacs of the
  lungs. This disease causes scarring and
  inflammation of these tissues, thus disturbing
  the overall functioning of the lungs. Usually, it
  affects all the tissues. This hampers the
  breathing ability and oxygen exchange in the
  bloodstream.

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Symptoms

• Scarring of the lung tissues is caused due to
  injury and abnormal healing responses of the
  body. Various factors may trigger
  the inflammation of the interstitium. Some of the
  factors include prolonged exposure to
  environmental pollutants, allergies, infections
  by microorganisms bacteria, virus and fungi,
  exposure to radiation therapy, side effects of
  strong medications, and other underlying
  diseases. Many times, this disease is caused
  due to unknown reasons, which is a type of
  idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. People who smoke
  or those having a family history of interstitial
  lung disease are more susceptible to the
  idiopathic type. One of the most common types of
  interstitial lung disease is usual interstitial
  pneumonitis that affects only a portion of the
  lung tissues.  

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Symptoms
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• In spite of the name, it is not caused due to
  infection. Women who are above 50 years are at a
  higher risk of developing interstitial
  pneumonitis.
• The most common symptoms of interstitial lung
  disease are difficulty in breathing, shortness of
  breath or breathlessness during physical
  activities, and prolonged dry cough. Though these
  symptoms are similar to many health conditions
  like aging process, obesity, and upper
  respiratory infection, patients tend to ignore
  the symptoms. Hence, early diagnosis is
  difficult. As the damage of the lung tissue
  progresses, the symptoms may worsen. In such a
  condition, patients may feel breathlessness
  without exertion, during rest, or while doing
  routine activities.

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Symptoms
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• Other less noticeable signs include wheezing,
  chest pain, and finger clubbing. In most cases,
  it develops gradually. However, at times, people
  suffer from sudden onsets of the symptoms.

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Treatments

• Interstitial lung disease is diagnosed based on
  the symptoms and physical examination of the
  patient. For confirmation, the pulmonologist may
  conduct chest X-rays, lung function test, blood
  test, and computed tomography (CT) of the thorax.
  In case the results of these laboratory tests are
  unclear, the pulmonologist may conduct a biopsy
  of the lung tissues in order to rule out other
  medical problems. If scarring of the
  interstitium occurs, it cannot be cured. Hence,
  once a patient develops this disease, he/she
  cannot regain the normal metabolic activity of
  the lungs. The main objective for treatment is to
  manage the symptoms and slow down the damage.
  Treatment usually differs from one patient to
  another, and is based on the particular symptoms
  manifested by the patient. Based on the symptoms,
  the pulmonologist may prescribe corticosteroids,
  oxygen supplementation, and other vaccination. In
  severe cases, the pulmonologist may conduct lung
  transplantation.

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