Interstitial pneumonitis

Also named Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) or Diffuse Parenchymal Lung Disease (DPLD)
It is a group of respiratory diseases affecting the interstitium (the tissue and space around the Alveoli) of the lungs.
It concerns alveolar epithelium, pulmonary capillary endothelium, basement membrane, and perivascular and perilymphatic tissues.
It may occur when an injury to the lungs triggers an abnormal healing response. Ordinarily, the body generates just the right amount of tissue to repair damage, but in interstitial lung disease, the repair process is disrupted, and the tissue around the air sacs (alveoli) becomes scarred and thickened. This makes it more difficult for oxygen to pass into the bloodstream. The disease presents itself with the following symptoms: shortness of breath, nonproductive coughing, fatigue, and weight loss, which tend to develop slowly, over several months. The average rate of survival for someone with this disease is between three and five years. The term ILD is used to distinguish these diseases from obstructive airways diseases.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF): the most common subgroup
Desquamative interstitial pneumonia (DIP)
Acute interstitial pneumonia (AIP): also known as Hamman-Rich syndrome
Nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP)
Respiratory bronchiolitis-associated interstitial lung disease (RB-ILD)
Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP): also known by the older name bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP)
Lymphoid interstitial pneumonia (LIP)

Inhaled substances (Pneumoconiosis)
- Inorganic (Silicosis, Asbestosis, Berylliosis, Industrial printing chemicals)
- Organic: Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (extrinisic allergic alveolitis)

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