Interstitial fibrosis, interstitial lung disease, interstitial pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary fibrosis are all general names given to the same group of chronic lung disorders. These disorders are characterized by scarring (fibrosis) of the tissue (interstitium) between the air sacs of the lungs.

In total, over 200 distinct lung disorders meet the definition of interstitial fibrosis, which is typically chronic, noncancerous, and noninfectious. Symptoms, causes and progression vary widely among these disorders, but each disease follows the same pattern of development:

1. Some known or unknown agent causes damage to the lungs.
2. The air sacs become inflamed in response to the offending agent.
3. Scar tissue forms, destroying healthy tissue, and the lung becomes stiff, impairing its ability to breathe and carry oxygen.

Symptoms of Interstitial Fibrosis

While the symptoms of interstitial fibrosis vary in type and severity from patient to patient, shortness of breath with activity is often the first symptom to appear. This breathlessness may be mild enough to ignore at the onset. However, if the condition progresses, the patient may become short of breath even without exertion.

Other mild to severe symptoms that may occur in interstitial fibrosis include:

• weakness
• fatigue
• loss of appetite/loss of weight
• dry cough
• chest pain or discomfort
• bleeding in the lungs
• heart failure/swelling in the legs

Interstitial Fibrosis Causes

Cases of interstitial fibrosis are divided into two categories, according to whether or not the cause is known. When the cause is unknown, the disorder is known as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Certain medications, radiation treatments, connective tissue diseases, and genetics have all been identified as causes of interstitial fibrosis. Perhaps the most common cause, however, is exposure to occupational and environmental pollutants, such as asbestos.

Asbestosis

Asbestosis is a type of interstitial fibrosis caused by long-term, continuous exposure to high levels of asbestos. Among asbestos-related diseases, asbestosis is most comparable to pleural plaques, another nonmalignant condition whose symptoms typically appear many years after exposure. Pleural plaques form in the pleural space between the chest wall and the lungs, whereas asbestosis forms in the air sacs of the lungs themselves. More than 50 percent of people who suffer from asbestosis also have pleural plaques.

While asbestosis is distinguished from mesothelioma–a malignant condition that may result from brief, lower-level exposure to asbestos–asbestosis sufferers are known to be at greater risk for mesothelioma and other lung cancers.

• pleural plaques and calcification
• pleural thickening
• pleural effusion

Treatment for Asbestosis

Although asbestosis has no known cure, several treatments are available to help manage the symptoms of the disease and increase patient comfort. The first step in any treatment is to eliminate any ongoing exposure to asbestos and for the patient to stop smoking, if applicable.

Some of the same medicines used to treat asthma have proven helpful in relieving the symptoms of asbestosis. Oxygen therapy may make breathing easier. Because respiratory infections can be especially serious in someone with asbestosis, patients may want to be vaccinated against influenza and pneumonia. If respiratory infections do occur, doctors may prescribe antibiotics to treat them.

Outlook for Asbestosis

The severity of asbestosis is linked mainly to the degree and duration of asbestos exposure. The disease may be so mild that the patient is virtually symptom-free. In other cases, the resulting lack of oxygen may be severe enough to cause disability or even death. Occasionally, asbestosis may lead to other serious conditions, including:

• Pleural changes – pleural effusion (accumulation of fluid) and pleural thickening
• Pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the lungs)
• Heart failure
• Mesothelioma and other lung cancers

Resources

http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/UVAHealth/adult_respire/interstit.cfm

http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=35436

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asbestosis

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/asbestosis/DS00482

http://www.ucsfhealth.org/adult/medical_services/pulmonary/old/conditions/asbestosis/treatments.html

http://www.healthcentral.com/ency/408/000128_pf.html