interstitial lung disease

Interstitial lung disease

About 180 diseases fall into this category of breathing disorders. Injury or foreign substances in the lungs (such as asbestos fibers) as well as infections, cancers, or inherited disorders may cause the diseases. They can lead to breathing or heart failure.

Mentioned in: Chest X Ray

---

interstitial lung disease (ILD),

a respiratory disorder characterized by a dry, unproductive cough and dyspnea on exertion. The patient may have swallowing disorders or joint and muscle pain and a history of industrial exposure to inorganic dusts, such as asbestos or silica. X-ray films usually show fibrotic infiltrates in the lung tissue, usually in the lower lobes. The fibrosing or scarring of lung tissue is often the result of an immune reaction to an inhaled substance. However, interstitial lung disease may result from viral, bacterial, or other infections; uremic pneumonitis; cancer; a congenital or inherited disorder; or circulatory impairment. The condition may be self-limiting, progress to respiratory or cardiac failure, or undergo spontaneous recovery.

---

interstitial lung disease

Diffuse interstitial pulmonary fibrosis Pulmonology A group of disorders characterized by scarring of deep lung tissue, leading to SOB and loss of functional alveoli, limiting O₂ exchange; ILD is more common in smokers Etiology Inorganic and organic dusts, gases, fumes, vapors, medications, radiation, and certain lung infections, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, coal worker's pneumoconiosis, silicosis, byssinosis, idiopathic