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Interstitial Lung Diseases
URL of this page: https://medlineplus.gov/interstitiallungdiseases.html

Interstitial Lung Diseases

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Basics

  • Summary
  • Start Here
  • Diagnosis and Tests
  • Prevention and Risk Factors
  • Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

  • Living With
  • Related Issues
  • Specifics
  • Genetics

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  • Journal Articles

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Summary

Interstitial lung disease is the name for a large group of diseases that inflame or scar the lungs. The inflammation and scarring make it hard to get enough oxygen. The scarring is called pulmonary fibrosis.

Breathing in dust or other particles in the air is responsible for some types of interstitial lung diseases. Specific types include:

  • Black lung disease among coal miners, from inhaling coal dust
  • Farmer's lung, from inhaling farm dust
  • Asbestosis, from inhaling asbestos fibers
  • Siderosis, from inhaling iron from mines or welding fumes
  • Silicosis, from inhaling silica dust

Other causes include autoimmune diseases or occupational exposures to molds, gases, or fumes. Some types of interstitial lung disease have no known cause.

Treatment depends on the type of exposure and the stage of the disease. It may involve medicines, oxygen therapy, or a lung transplant in severe cases.

Start Here

  • Interstitial Lung Disease (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
  • Interstitial Lung Disease: Overview (National Jewish Health)
  • Occupational Respiratory Disease (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
  • What Are Interstitial Lung Diseases? From the National Institutes of Health (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Diagnosis and Tests

  • Lung Function Tests From the National Institutes of Health (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
  • Shortness of Breath (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
  • Tests for Lung Disease From the National Institutes of Health (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

  • Protect Yourself: Respirators (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) - PDF
  • Signs of Unhealthy Indoor Air (American Lung Association)

Treatments and Therapies

  • Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD): Treatment (National Jewish Health)
  • Lung Disease Treatments From the National Institutes of Health (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Living With

  • Oxygen Therapy: MedlinePlus Health Topic From the National Institutes of Health (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
  • Pulmonary Rehabilitation: MedlinePlus Health Topic From the National Institutes of Health (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

  • Beryllium (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
  • Crystalline Silica (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
  • Dusts and Molds (National Farm Medicine Center) - PDF
  • How to Properly Put On and Take Off a Disposable Respirator (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF Also in Spanish
  • Particulate Matter (PM) Pollution (Environmental Protection Agency)

Specifics

  • About Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health)
  • Farmer's Lung: Causes and Symptoms of Mold and Dust Induced Respiratory Illness (Virginia Cooperative Extension)
  • Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis From the National Institutes of Health (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
  • Idiopathic Interstitial Pneumonias (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish
  • Learn about Silicosis (American Lung Association)
  • Pneumonitis (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
  • Silicosis: Learn the Facts! (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) - PDF Also in Spanish

Genetics

  • Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis: MedlinePlus Genetics From the National Institutes of Health (National Library of Medicine)
  • Surfactant dysfunction: MedlinePlus Genetics From the National Institutes of Health (National Library of Medicine)

Clinical Trials

  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Lung Diseases, Interstitial From the National Institutes of Health (National Institutes of Health)
  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Pneumoconiosis From the National Institutes of Health (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

  • Article: The Reliability of a Novel Structured Testing Device for Single-breath Lung...
  • Article: Complex breathlessness intervention in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (BREEZE-IPF): a feasibility, wait-list...
  • Article: Trajectories of forced vital capacity in patients with systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial...
  • Interstitial Lung Diseases -- see more articles

Reference Desk

  • How the Lungs Work From the National Institutes of Health Video (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

  • American Lung Association
  • Lung HelpLine (American Lung Association)
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute From the National Institutes of Health

Children

  • Childhood Interstitial Lung Disease From the National Institutes of Health (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Patient Handouts

  • Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
  • Interstitial lung disease (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
  • Interstitial lung disease - adults - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
  • Pulmonary function tests (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Topic Image

Interstitial Lung Disease

MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

  • ACE blood test
  • Bronchoscopy
  • Byssinosis
  • Chest x-ray
  • Coal worker's pneumoconiosis
  • Histiocytosis
  • Hypersensitivity pneumonitis
  • Industrial bronchitis
  • Interstitial lung disease
  • Interstitial lung disease - adults - discharge
  • Pulmonary function tests
  • Rheumatoid pneumoconiosis
  • Silicosis

Related Health Topics

  • Asbestos
  • Lung Diseases
  • Occupational Health
  • Pulmonary Fibrosis
  • Pulmonary Rehabilitation

National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on Interstitial Lung Diseases is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

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The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health.

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