Interstitial Lung Disease
The list of causes of infiltrative diseases is never-ending. Many are extremely rare - Marsha H. Antoine
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Fibrosing interstitial lung diseases: knowns and unknowns
Interstitial lung disease (ILD) encompasses a large and heterogeneous group of parenchymal lung disorders, which overlap in their clinical presentations and patterns of lung injury. ILDs include several diseases of unknown cause, as well as ILDs known to be related to other diseases or to environmental exposures. One of the most common types of ILD is idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). IPF is, by definition, a progressive fibrosing ILD characterised by decline in lung function and early mortality. Patients with certain other types of chronic fibrosing ILD are also at risk of developing a progressive phenotype. These include idiopathic nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP), unclassifiable…
Articles of Interest
Interstitial lung disease
Interstitial lung diseases are a group of diffuse parenchymal lung disorders associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Knowledge achieved in recent years has resulted in the publication of the new classification of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias, according to which there are three groups: major, rare and unclassified. The novelty of the new classification comes from the fact that difficult to classify entities can be treated according to the disease behaviour classification. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is the most lethal amongst the interstitial lung diseases and presents high heterogeneity in clinical behaviour.
Interstitial Lung Disease A Review
The most common forms of ILD are idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), which accounts for approximately one-third of all cases of ILD, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, accounting for 15% of ILD cases, and connective tissue disease (CTD), accounting for 25% of ILD cases. ILD typically presents with dyspnea on exertion. Approximately 30% of patients with ILD report cough.
Interstitial lung disease: a review of classification, etiology, epidemiology, clinical diagnosis, pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment
Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) refer to a heterogeneous and complex group of conditions characterized by inflammation, fibrosis, or both, in the interstitium of the lungs. This results in impaired gas exchange, leading to a worsening of respiratory symptoms and a decline in lung function. While the etiology of some ILDs is unclear, most cases can be traced back to factors such as genetic predispositions, environmental exposures (including allergens, toxins, and air pollution), underlying autoimmune diseases, or the use of certain medications.
The Difference between Interstitial Lung Disease and Pulmonary Fibrosis
Because pulmonary fibrosis is not a disease, but rather something caused by lung diseases, the medical community tends to avoid the term. That said, there’s much more to this story. Interstitial lung disease can cause inflammation, fibrosis or both. ILD’s origins can be put into two main groups. The first is idiopathic, which means “the cause is not known.” Idiopathic ILD, like ILDs in general, can bring inflammation or fibrosis.
What Are Interstitial Lung Diseases?
In ILDs, scarring damages tissues in or around the lungs’ air sacs, or alveoli, and airways. The lung interstitium is the space between the air sacs and the small blood vessels that surround the air sacs. It contains connective tissue. When you breathe, oxygen from the air passes through your air sacs and lung interstitium and into your blood. At the same time, carbon dioxide moves from your blood through the lung interstitium and into your air sacs.
