When someone is first diagnosed with interstitial
lung disease, or ILD, it's actually an umbrella
for a lot of different diseases, up to 200
of them.
Depending on which type of ILD you have, your
treatment can be very different.
So, for example, in people who have idiopathic
pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF, there are drugs
that target the scaring process themselves,
antifibrotic drugs that are available.
In contrast, people that have autoimmune conditions
often respond to steroids or medications that
suppress the immune system.
These would be things that I wouldn't use
in an IPF patient, but can be very useful
in autoimmune conditions, or in conditions
like sarcoidosis.
UVA has a really excellent interstitial lung
disease program.
It's a big focus in our pulmonary division.
The philosophy of the ILD clinic is really
to provide comprehensive, integrated care,
and develop a personalized treatment plan
for each patient.
