Ask an 'Interstitial Lung Disease Specialist' Online

It is a respiratory system disorder in which there is an irreversible
scarring of tissues of the lungs due to combination of various
disorders. This ultimately leads to breathing difficulties and your
bloodstream does not get enough oxygen, eventually. The causes include
chronic exposure to chemicals like asbestos, rheumatic arthritis, and
sometimes the etiology remains unknown. The symptoms include shortness
of breath at rest, aggravated during exertion, dry cough, etc. The
diagnosis can be done using various tests as decided by your
physician.

If it is not treated, it can lead to many complications like pulmonary
hypertension, right-sided failure of the heart, respiratory failure,
etc. The treatment involves initially the management of underlying
cause and usually steroids are given. Along with this, supportive
therapy is given when there is severe breathing difficulty with the
help of oxygen therapy. Some other therapies involve pulmonary
rehabilitation.