Interstitial Lung Disease Evaluation

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09/08/2008

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The interstitial lung disease evaluation MedicalTemplate is suitable for any health care provider who may evaluate a patient with interstitial lung... (More) The interstitial lung disease evaluation MedicalTemplate is suitable for any health care provider who may evaluate a patient with interstitial lung disease.

Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) is a diverse group of more than 200 diseases that cause progressive fibrosis (scarring) of lung tissue, which leads to chronic, progressive breathlessness and respiratory failure. The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (www.pulmonaryfibrosis.org) estimates that more than 200,000 Americans have ILD, and nearly 40,000 Americans die each year from ILD.

ILD includes idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), sarcoidosis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, Nonspecific Interstitial Pneumonitis (NSIP), Desquamative
Interstitial Pneumonitis (DIP), Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia (COP, aka BOOP), medication induced lung disease, post-radiation fibrosis, and many other diseases.

The primary symptoms of ILD are nonspecific, such as non-productive cough and progressive breathlessness. These symptoms are seen in many other medical conditions such as asthma, heart failure, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The lack of specificity of the presenting symptoms makes the identification of ILD challenging, particularly in individuals with known heart or lung disease. Early and accurate diagnosis of ILD is essential so that treatment options can be considered before extensive and permanent damage occurs, resulting in disabling breathlessness. While there is currently no proven, FDA-approved treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, many forms of interstitial lung disease can be treated, if detected early in the disease process. Thus, having a low threshold for suspecting interstitial disease, and assessing a patient’s risk of developing pulmonary fibrosis by obtaining important historical information is critical to early diagnosis. (Less)