What Are the Treatments for Interstitial Lung Disease?

Interstitial lung disease is a blanket term that describes a variety of disorders that combine together to cause tissue scarring in the lungs, which eventually impairs the ability to breathe. As the condition can be caused by a variety of contaminants, including cigarette smoke toxins or drugs, the types of treatment often depend on the disease's causes.

Behavior Modification

• The first step in treatment of interstitial lung disease is to cease the behaviors causing the disease itself. If you smoke, stop smoking, and ask your physician if he or she can recommend a smoking cessation program to help ensure your success in quitting.

  Your physician may recommend additional lifestyle changes as a measure to improve your overall health. These include engaging in regular exercise and eating healthy foods. If you find you have trouble breathing or catching your breath while exercising, you may wish to join a pulmonary rehabilitation program in which a therapist instructs you on proper breathing techniques and exercises to follow for your condition.

Medications

• Depending on the level of scarring and inflammation in the lungs, a physician may prescribe a variety of medications in an attempt to reverse interstitial lung disease. These may include corticosteroid medications, which aim to reduce inflammation in the lungs. They are not recommended for many patients with interstitial lung disease as they cannot be taken on a long-term basis. This medication may be combined with azathioprine, which is also used to reduce inflammation in the lungs.

  Another more commonly prescribed medication is acetylcysteine, which helps to reduce the amount of scarring in the lungs, helping patients to breathe more easily. Additional medications prescribed to reduce scar tissue are antifibrotics, which slow lung damage progression. Such medications include bosentan, pirfenidone, and colchicine.

Therapy

• As mentioned earlier, pulmonary rehabilitation therapy is of major benefit to those with interstitial lung disease. This rehabilitation helps to restore patient's lung function as well as teach him or her coping mechanisms that help when breathing becomes increasingly difficult.

  Oxygen therapy also helps to make breathing easier and has been shown in some instances to reduce blood pressure, according to the Mayo Clinic. The therapy involves the inhalation of pure oxygen to improve blood oxygen levels in the body.

Lung Transplantation

• Used only in severe cases for those with interstitial lung disease, a lung transplant may be necessary for patients whose scarring is so severe that it cannot be slowed or reversed with treatment. Lung transplant surgery requires a tremendous amount of patience and family support while a patient awaits donor organs as well as a commitment to healthy living and smoking cessation following surgery.