Interstitial Lung Disease

Interstitial lung disease is not normal lung cancer, though it can damage the lungs.  It is a term used to describe a continual scarring of the lung tissue.  Eventually, the result is that breathing becomes impaired, and less than sufficient amounts of oxygen are able to enter the blood stream.

Interstitial lung disease can occur rapidly, or develop slowly over time.  Sometimes, doctors can determine why the disease occurs, but often the cause remains a mystery.  Unfortunately, once lung tissue becomes scarred, that damage is considered to be irreversible.

Causes of Interstitial Lung Disease

If the walls of the lung’s air sacs become inflamed, the supporting tissue gets thicker, and scarred.  Normally, these sacs are very flexible, and can contract and expand like small baloons – but when the supporting tissue becomes scarred, they turn thick and inflexible, resulting in less elasticity and less ability to support normal respiration.  Such scarring can occur after an injury to the lungs results in abnormal healing (in which case the body can produce excessive amounts of scar tissue).

Those most at risk are individuals who work with radioactive materials, dust, and in other occupations in which they are exposed to fine particulate matter.

Read more about http://adenocarcinomaofthelung.net/interstitial-lung-disease at Adenocarcinoma of The Lung, a lung cancer and respiratory health network.