Interstitial Lung Disease Prognosis in Elderly Men and Women

Concerned relatives are usually very interested in the interstitial lung disease prognosis in elderly men and women. This disease is quite serious and in most cases, the outcome is not good.

Both incidence and mortality increase with age. Physicians are often unable to predict a positive outcome for persons who are affected, especially if the condition was not detected early.

The earliest symptoms of this illness are usually difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is actually a group of disorders. These cause the pulmonary tissues to become inflamed. Over time, the alveoli become scarred and cannot expand as they need to.

Some older people who are affected may have worked in asbestos, or had an autoimmune disease that triggered the illness. Others took medications or received radiation therapy that caused this problem. Your outlook depends on the cause. If you have idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), which is a form of this illness, the chances of recovery are lower. A lung transplant may be recommended in this case.

According to the National Library of Medicine in the United States, women and men may first have difficulty breathing after climbing stairs, running or other forms of physical exercise. If you notice this and also have a dry cough, you should see your doctor as soon as possible. Interstitial lung disease prognosis improves when the illness is detected early.
Source: Nlm.nih.gov, "Diffuse Interstitial Lung Disease", http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000128.htm


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