Clinical and Diagnostic Profile of Interstitial Lung Disease

Abstract

Background: Interstitial lung disease are clinically challenging and diverse group of over 300 disorders. These
heterogeneous group of disorders share few common clinical radiological and pathological profiles.
Objective: To analyse these Clinical, spirometric, laboratory, radiological and bronchoscopic profile of various ILDs.
Methods: It is an Institutional based prospective study of 50 cases of Interstitial Lung Disease presenting to pulmonology
department. After Obtaining Informed Consent patients were subjected to detailed Clinical, spirometric, laboratory,
radiological and bronchoscopic examination. Initially a total of 60 patients were enrolled in the study .Out of which 4
patients were excluded based on exclusion criteria and 6 patients were lost to follow up.
Results: After Analysing 50 ILD patients, it showed a female preponderance, presenting mostly in 36-55 year age group
with shortness of breath and cough as the predominant complaints. Majority of the patients showed exercise oxygen
desaturation and a restrictive abnormality in spirometric evaluation. Radiologically, reticulonodular pattern was the most
common presentation on CXR and reticular opacities on HRCT. Most common HRCT pattern was UIP pattern with basal
predominance. The most common cause of ILD was IPF (30%) followed by LDCTD which comprised 28% of the cases.
Conclusion: Patients, in their third to fifth decade, especially females, presenting with complaints of breathlessness and
cough, with exercise oxygen desaturation, should be evaluated for ILD with complete profile to identify the disease at an
early stage.