Numerous conditions make up the group of disorders called interstitial lung disease (ild). Most cause progressive scarring of lung tissue that eventually affects your ability to breathe and get enough oxygen into your bloodstream, but beyond this, the disorders vary greatly.

Although most cases of interstitial lung disease develop gradually, a few come on suddenly. Doctors can pinpoint why some cases of interstitial lung disease occur, but many have no known cause.

In all cases, lung scarring, once it occurs, is generally irreversible. Medications occasionally can slow the damage of interstitial lung disease, but many people never regain full use of their lungs. Researchers hope that newer drugs, many of them still experimental, may eventually prove more effective in treating interstitial lung disease.

Website: Interstitial lung diseases