On this page

Basics

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

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

• No links available

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Patient Handouts

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? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Diagnosis and Tests

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

Living With

• Oxygen Therapy: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Pulmonary Rehabilitation: MedlinePlus Health Topic (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 (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 (National Library of Medicine)
• Surfactant dysfunction: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Clinical Trials

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

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

• Article: Design of a randomised controlled hybrid trial of nintedanib in patients...
• Article: Mirtazapine to alleviate severe breathlessness in patients with COPD or interstitial...
• Article: Unsupervised Exercise in Interstitial Lung Disease: A Delphi Study to Develop...
• Interstitial Lung Diseases -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• How the Lungs Work (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

• American Lung Association
• Lung HelpLine and Tobacco QuitLine (American Lung Association)
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Children

• Childhood Interstitial Lung Disease (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