Diagnosis and Treatment of Interstitial Lung Disease

Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), a group of conditions affecting the lung's interstitial space, are explored with Dr. Toby Maher, Director of Interstitial Lung Diseases at the University of Southern California. While individually rare, collectively ILDs affect over 650,000 people in the U.S. Symptoms often start subtly with exertional breathlessness, potentially progressing to resting respiratory failure; a key diagnostic indicator is bilateral basal Velcro-like crepitations. Diagnosis can be challenging, especially in older smokers where cardiovascular disease or COPD are more obvious; high-resolution CT scans are definitive. Treatment strategies vary, from anti-fibrotic drugs for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis to immunomodulatory therapies for immune-mediated diseases, with lung transplant as an option for end-stage cases.