Interstitial Lung Disease: Lung Scarring That Causes Breathing Issues
Interstitial lung disease (ILD) causes scarring that damages lung tissue. Symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing and poor oxygen uptake.
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When someone is first diagnosed with interstitial lung disease or ILD, it’s actually an umbrella for a lot of different diseases, up to 200 of them. Depending on which type of ILD you have, your treatment can be very different. An example is in people who have idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF. There are drugs that target the scaring process themselves, antifibrotic drugs that are available.
In contrast, people that have autoimmune conditions often respond to steroids or medications that suppress the immune system. These would be things that I wouldn’t use in an IPF patient but can be very useful in autoimmune conditions, or in conditions like sarcoidosis.
UVA has a really excellent interstitial lung disease program. It’s a big focus in our pulmonary division. The philosophy of the ILD clinic is to provide comprehensive, integrated care and develop a personalized treatment plan for each patient.