A Study of Clinico Radiological Profile of Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD)

Abstract

Interstitial lung diseases are large group of disorders (approximately 200), most of which cause progressive scarring of lung tissue. Although less frequent than COPD and asthma, ILD accounts for 15% of the respiratory disease in general practice. The present study was conducted to determine the clinical and radiological profile and etiological frequencies of ILDs among patients presenting in the Department of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Medicine in collaboration with Department of Medicine and Department of Radiology at Pt. B.D. Sharma Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences Rohtak. 40 patients belonging to either sex and >18 years of age initially suspected to have ILDs and subsequently confirmed on HRCT to have ILD were included in the study. There were 21 (52.5%) females and 19 (47.5%) males and most of the patients were from rural (57.5%) background. 55% patients were non-smokers. Dyspnea was the most common symptom present in 38 (95%) patients with other relevant symptoms being cough, expectoration and fever. The lung involvement was bilateral in all cases with HRCT in these patients showing predominantly septal thickening followed by honeycombing, ground glass opacity, nodular and reticular pattern. In the present study, most common ethology of ILD observed was IPF followed by CTD-ILD and NSIP. Present study suggests that ILDs are not uncommon in India but lack of recognition and inadequate diagnostic facilities explains why there are so few Indian series on this subject. Diagnosis of ILDs at an early stage is paramount to prevent/ /delay progression to irreversible damage to the lungs.