What are the Other Interstitial Lung Diseases?

Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILD) is a general term used for disorders involving the interstitium The interstium is a term used for the support structures of the lung and the tissue in between the alveoli (spherical air-exchange units). There are several hundred types of interstitial lung diseases.

There are three major groups of interstitial lung disease. First, the interstitial pneumonias that include usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) and others. Second, the granulomatous disorders that include sarcoidosis and hypersensitivity pneumonia. Third, the miscellaneous disorders that include bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP), acute and chronic eosinophilic pneumonia (AEP and CEP), pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP), amyloidosis, lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), carcinomatosis.

These disorders are diagnosed by the symptoms, physical findings, radiographic studies, and pulmonary function tests. A lung biopsy may be needed so that the microscopic findings of the tissue can be interpreted by the lung pathologist.