Types of Interstitial Lung Disease

There are more than 200 types of Interstitial Lung Diseases. Some of the common types of ILD are:

1. Related to Exposure:

   Drug exposure like: Chemotherapy, methotrexate, etc.

   Occupational or environmental: inorganic dust like

   Asbestosis- Asbestosis is a chronic lung condition associated with prolonged exposure to high concentrations of asbestos fibers in the air. It may cause symptoms like shortness of breath, persistent dry cough, tightness in the chest or chest pain, loss of weight associated with a loss of appetite and noisy breathing (crackling sound from the lungs during inspiration) and unusually wide and rounded fingertips and toes known as clubbing.

   Bagassosis- which is an airborne condition caused by inhalation of the fibrous cane-sugar residue called bagasse. It causes symptoms like breathlessness, persistent cough, blood in sputum (hemoptysis) and slight fever. The Xray would reveal mottling in lungs or shadows with a deranged pulmonary function test.

   Fumes- second hand smoke, pollution and toxic fumes may also lead to inhalational damage of the lungs and cause symptoms of ILD.

   Radiation- It may sometimes cause fibrosis in lungs and cause lung injury and exacerbate lung issues and exacerbate ILD.
    

2. Autoimmune causes:

   Rheumatoid Arthritis- ILD is the most common extra-articular manifestation of Rheumatoid arthritis. It may cause nodules in lung and build up of fluid in the pleura of lungs.

   Sarcoidosis- It is an autoimmune condition that may involve a wide range of organs and may cause pulmonary fibrosis (scarring).

   Sjogren Syndrome- It is a chronic inflammatory disorder that leads to altered tear glands and salivary gland function. Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is considered the most frequent and serious pulmonary complication in primary Sjögren’s syndrome.

   Scleroderma- The systemic form od scleroderma is a rare connective tissue disorder that may cause fibrosis of the lungs leading to ILD.
    

3. Idiopathic (unknown causes):
   Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF)- )—It basically means that the cause of scarring in lungs is unknown.

   Nonspecific Interstitial Pneumonia (NSIP)- It is a form of chronic interstitial pneumonia with the homogeneous appearance of lung scaring and inflammation.

   Acute Interstitial Pneumonia (AIP)- It is a type of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia with an acute onset and a rapidly progressive course that often leads causes diffuse lung injury.