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Interstitial Lung Disease: How This Common Lung Disorder Is Treated

Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) is a group of lung disorders characterised by inflammation and scarring of the interstitium, the tissue surrounding the air sacs in the lungs. This condition can be challenging to diagnose and treat due to its diverse causes and symptoms. However, advancements in medical science have provided various treatment options to manage and alleviate its effects. 

Talking to the team of Onlymyhealth Dr Kinjal Modi, Consultant, Pulmonology, PD, Hinduja Hospital & MCR, Khar shared the complexities of ILD and explore the treatment modalities available to patients.

Treating Interstitial Lung Disease

Before delving into treatment, it's crucial to understand what ILD entails. "Interstitial Lung Disease encompasses a broad spectrum of conditions, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis, among others," said Dr Modi. These diseases share common features such as inflammation and scarring of lung tissue, leading to impaired gas exchange and respiratory function.

How Interstitial Lung Disease Is Treated

Dr Modi listed a few ways to treat ILD:

Medications

The first step towards treating ILD is through medication:

  • Corticosteroids: These anti-inflammatory drugs are often prescribed to reduce inflammation in the lungs and alleviate symptoms.
  • Immunosuppressants: Medications like azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, and mycophenolate mofetil are used to suppress the immune system's abnormal response in certain ILDs.
  • Antifibrotic drugs: Pirfenidone and nintedanib are FDA-approved medications for treating IPF. They help slow down the progression of fibrosis, the hallmark of ILD.
  • Oxygen Therapy

    Many ILD patients experience reduced oxygen levels in their blood due to impaired lung function. Oxygen therapy can help alleviate symptoms like shortness of breath and fatigue by providing supplemental oxygen.

    Pulmonary Rehabilitation

    This comprehensive programme includes exercise training, education, and psychological support to improve lung function, increase exercise tolerance, and enhance the overall quality of life for ILD patients.

    Also Read: Respiratory Disease: What Is The Best Treatment For Asthma?

    How Interstitial Lung Disease Is Treated

    Lung Transplantation

    For individuals with advanced ILD who do not respond to other treatments, lung transplantation may be considered as a last resort. This procedure involves replacing one or both diseased lungs with healthy donor lungs.

    Clinical Trials

    Researchers are continuously investigating new therapies and treatment approaches for ILD through clinical trials. Participation in these trials offers eligible patients access to cutting-edge treatments and contributes to advancing medical knowledge in the field.

    Challenges In Treating Interstitial Lung Disease

    While significant progress has been made in the treatment of ILD, several challenges persist. One major hurdle is the heterogeneity of ILD subtypes, which necessitates personalised treatment approaches tailoured to each patient's specific condition and underlying cause. Additionally, the long-term efficacy and safety of current treatments need to be further evaluated through ongoing research.

    Looking ahead, emerging therapeutic strategies, such as targeted therapies and gene-based treatments, hold promise for improving outcomes in ILD patients. Furthermore, a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms driving lung fibrosis and inflammation will pave the way for the development of more effective and targeted therapies.

    Also Read: Respiratory Diseases: Know Symptoms, Causes, Major Types And Preventions

    Interstitial Lung Disease poses significant challenges to patients and healthcare providers alike, but with a multidisciplinary approach and ongoing research efforts, significant strides have been made in its management and treatment. From medications and oxygen therapy to pulmonary rehabilitation and lung transplantation, a range of options are available to help alleviate symptoms, slow disease progression, and improve the quality of life for individuals living with ILD. As research continues to unravel the complexities of this condition, the future holds promise for more targeted and effective treatment approaches, offering hope to patients and their families worldwide.

    Disclaimer

    All possible measures have been taken to ensure accuracy, reliability, timeliness and authenticity of the information; however Onlymyhealth.Com does not take any liability for the same. Using any information provided by the website is solely at the viewers' discretion. In case of any medical exigencies/ persistent health issues, we advise you to seek a qualified medical practitioner before putting to use any advice/tips given by our team or any third party in form of answers/comments on the above mentioned website.


    New Insights Into Covid-19 Lung Damage: The Role Of Ferroptosis

    An unusual form of cell death could lead to a Covid patient's lungs suffering extreme damage, potentially resulting in life-threatening conditions such as inflammation and acute respiratory disorders, according to new research.

    The ability to inhibit this unusual form of cell death -- ferroptosis -- can offer doctors new ways of to treat Covid-19 lung disease, the study suggested.

    Cell death, where a cell stops functioning, can be natural or could result from causes such as a disease or an injury.

    The most common form of cell death involves cells ''chopping up'' the molecules inside, researchers explained, adding that this occurs in humans, both when they are ill or are ageing.

    However, in ferroptosis, the relatively uncommon form of cell death, cells die because their outer fat layers collapse, the researchers at Columbia University, US, said.

    In this study, they analysed human tissues and collected autopsies of patients who died of respiratory failure caused by Covid-19 infection. Samples from hamsters were also analysed.

    The team found that most cells were dying through the ferroptosis mechanism, forming the underlying basis for lung disease in Covid patients.

    Therefore, drugs that target and prevent the ferroptosis form of cell death could help improve the treatment course for Covid-19, the researchers said.

    ''This finding adds crucial insight to our understanding of how Covid-19 affects the body that will significantly improve our ability to fight life-threatening cases of the disease,'' said Brent Stockwell, chair of the department of biological sciences at Columbia, and co-lead author of the study published in the journal Nature Communications.

    Previous studies have shown that ferroptosis, while instrumental to certain normal bodily processes, can also attack and kill healthy cells in patients with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.

    The authors said that the ability to inhibit ferroptosis could offer doctors new ways of combating cell death that should not be occurring, as in the case of Covid-19 lung disease.

    ''We're hopeful that these important new findings could improve our ability to confront this pernicious disease, which, in too many cases, still diminishes health outcomes and results in death,'' said Stockwell.

    (This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)


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