- Interstitial lung disease
Definition
- Interstitial lung diseases comprise a group of disorders that have the common features of inflammation and fibrosis of the inter alveolar septum, representing a non-specific reaction of the lung to injury of various causes
Main features
- Dyspnoea and dry cough
- fine inspiratory crackles at lung base
- finger clubbing
- PFTs
- restrictive ventilatory deficit
- decrease in gas transfer factor
- Characteristic x-ray changes
Causes
- sarcoidosis
- cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis
- extrinsic allergic alveolitis
- drug induced
- lymphangitis carcinomatosis
- acute pulmonary oedema
- immunological
Treatment
- Depends on cause
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