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interstitial lung disease ILD

Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD)

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Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD)

ILD meaning Interstitial lung disease is a broad group of lung diseases that make up more than 100 types of pulmonary disorders. It is difficult for people with interstitial lung disease to receive enough oxygen as ILD affects the absorption of oxygen into the lungs. For example, pulmonary fibrosis, interstitial pneumonia and pneumoconiosis are types of interstitial lung diseases. ILD affects everyone different and at different rates. Typically, the most common characteristic of interstitial lung disease is scarring of the lung’s delicate tissues, causing progressive lung stiffness.

ILD patient Venu Dhaman remarks, “I had ILD and my SPO2 was hovering around 92. The exercises told by Dr Huda thrice a week and after ten sessions of RespiRehab, the SPO2 is now clocking 96-97, which is fantastic. I am able to comfortably walk and gaining confidence. 🙏Thanks to Respirehab and Dr Huda for my present condition.” Several medical research have proven Pulmonary Rehabilitation to be to be beneficial for people with ILD. Improvements in functional exercise capacity, dyspnoea and quality of life are seen immediately following pulmonary rehabilitation, with benefits also evident in IPF. 

What is Interstitial Lung Disease?

What is Ild?

Interstitial lung disease or ILD occurs when an injury to the lungs triggers an abnormal healing response, resulting in scarring of the lung tissue. The inflammation, scarring or build up of fluid in the tissues surrounding the alveoli also known as the interstitium, stiffens the lungs making it difficult to breathe.

Interstitial Lung Disease Symptoms:

What are the signs of Interstitial lung disease?

The type, severity and progression of interstitial lung disease symptoms varies from person to person. Some of the common symptoms of ILD include the following: lung disease symptoms

  • Fatigue
  • Weight loss
  • Shortness of breath
  • Dry, pestering cough
  • Acute pneumonia

The scarring in the lung tissue due to ILD leads to lung stiffness leaving you short of breath often along with a dry cough. There is also fatigue and occasional weight loss. These symptoms are progressive in nature hence it is important to see your doctor immediately.

Interstitial Lung Disease Causes:

What causes ILD?

 Several factors can increase the risk or cause ILDs including genetics, certain medications or medical treatments such as radiation or chemotherapy.

Interstitial Lung Disease Classification based on ILD causes

We can classify 3 types of interstitial lung diseases based on what causes ILD

  1. Exposure Related Lung disease:

This type of ILD is usually caused by certain medications and treatments including chemotherapy, methotrexate, Amiodarone. This could also be triggered by exposure to radiation, toxic environmental elements (sometimes referred to as occupational lung disease,) or if you regularly breathe in things that can bother your lungs. These include:

  • Asbestos
  • Bird proteins (such as from exotic birds, chickens, or pigeons)
  • Coal dust or various other metal dusts from working in mining
  • Grain dust from farming
  • Silica dust
  • Talc
 

2. Autoimmune Related Lung Disease:

Autoimmune disease like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma and Sjogren’s syndrome put you at a higher risk to get interstitial lung disease.

3. Idiopathic Lung Disease:

In many cases, cause of interstitial lung disease is unknown and hence classified as idiopathic. These most commonly include idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), Acute Interstitial Pneumonia (AIP) and Sarcoid and Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia (COP)

ILD causes interstitial lung disease classification

The most common cause of interstitial lung disease (such as idiopathic lung fibrosis) unfortunately remains unknown and hence classified as idiopathic lung disease.

Smoking can not only cause ILDs, but can also worsen the condition.

ILD TREATMENT:

What is the treatment for interstitial lung disease?

Even though interstitial lung disease is a progressive condition, meaning it will worsen over time, there are treatment options available. It’s important to receive a diagnosis and start your treatment plan as soon as possible. Simply put, interstitial lung disease treatments are aimed at improving symptoms and slowing interstitial lung disease progression.

How to treat interstitial lung disease will depend upon the cause of the interstitial disease and the health status of the patient. ILD treatment will usually include one or more of the following:

  • Medication: Various drugs may be prescribed to reduce inflammation in the lungs and/or to suppress the immune system thus slowing the disease progression. Some medications are only appropriate for certain forms of ILD and not others.
  • Oxygen Therapy can make breathing easier and protect the body from the damages of low blood oxygen levels.
  • Pulmonary Rehabilitation may also be recommended for techniques to improve lung efficiency making it easier to manage routine activities, work, and outings or social activities that you enjoy. Early initiation of therapy helps gain more control over the disease progression.
  • Lung Transplant: In severe cases a lung transplant may be suggested for those who haven’t benefitted from conservative management.

What is the best treatment for interstitial lung disease?

Patients with IPF or advanced forms of non-IPF ILD can benefit significantly from treatment (medicines) and supportive care (pulmonary rehab). Pulmonary rehabilitation can have a beneficial impact on their quality of life and symptom palliation [1], shows research study.

 

Pulmonary Rehabilitation and ILDs

A pulmonary rehabilitation program is recommended for all patients with ILD. As per recent medical research [2], pulmonary rehabilitation has shown beneficial effects on dyspnoea, functional exercise capacity and quality of life in IPF.

Pulmonary rehabilitation program includes education, exercise conditioning, breathing techniques, and energy saving techniques, respiratory therapy evaluation and counselling.

The specific goals of pulmonary rehabilitation are to improve quality of life by:

  • decreasing respiratory symptoms and complications
  • encouraging self-management and control over daily functioning
  • improving physical conditioning and exercise performance
  • improving emotional well-being and reducing hospitalization

It is important to follow the treatment plan that you and your doctor develop together, and it’s also important to learn more about pulmonary rehabilitation. For some people with ILD, RespiRehab has helped them improve their quality of life and breathe easier. In fact, many patients are able to lead a more active lifestyle and reduce their oxygen therapy use. If you or a loved one has interstitial lung disease, pulmonary fibrosis, or another chronic lung disease and would like to learn more about RespiRehab’s online pulmonary rehabilitation, ask for call back by clicking here or call us at 9920991647

What to expect during Pulmonary rehabilitation for ILD?

Uniquely tailored to each patient, pulmonary rehabilitation offers an evidence-based approach for improving the psychological and physical condition of the patient. Six to twelve weeks of therapy is generally recommended to improve symptoms of shortness of breath, muscle fatigue and increase exercise abilities.

At RespiRehab, an exercise program is designed after a thorough initial assessment of the patient’s current condition and goals. Sessions are held thrice a week or bi-weekly and new goals are set for every session based on the patient’s progress. [Related Reading: How does RespiRehab deliver improved lung capacity and reduce breathlessness? The Maths behind it ]

Pulmonary rehabilitation includes exercise and education to improve your knowledge of your lung disease and educate you on avoiding lung irritants (eg. air pollution), maintaining a healthy behaviour (eg. exercise, nutrition) and reducing your reliance on expensive medical resources. It helps you best cope with your disease symptoms, controls breathing difficulties and thus better your quality of life.

Exercise is an important arm of pulmonary rehabilitation. Breathing exercises help improve lung efficiency and endurance. The exercises increase in intensity as the session progresses. There are also basic aerobic activities of upper limb and lower limb to tackle the deconditioning of muscles. All exercises are started off under the supervision of a physiotherapist and video links are provided for patients to practice the exercises later. Breathing exercises also aid in reducing panic and anxiety associated with chronic diseases.

If you or a loved one has interstitial lung disease, pulmonary fibrosis, or another chronic lung disease and would like to learn more about pulmonary rehabilitation options, ask for call back by clicking here or call us at 9920991647

This post is based on the contribution from Dr Kimberly D’Souza (PT). Dr Kimberly is a pulmonary physiotherapist at RespiRehab and is equally popular among young and elderly. Her experience coupled with smiling demeanour add to her treatment efficacy.

Scientific References:

[1] Diagnosis and management of interstitial lung disease, Keith C Meyer, Transl Respir Med. 2014; 2: 4. doi: 10.1186/2213-0802-2-4. PMCID: PMC4215823. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4215823/

[2] Wells and Hirani, 2008; O’Dwyer et al. 2013. Interstitial lung disease guideline: the British Thoracic Society in collaboration with the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand and the Irish Thoracic Society. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18757459/

[3] Kylie Johnston and Karen Grimmer-Somers, Pulmonary Rehabilitation: Overwhelming Evidence but Lost in Translation? 2010, Oct 18. doi: 10.3138/physio.62.4.368 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2958065/

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