What are the causes of interstitial lung disease and interstitial thickening?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am sharing my chest X-ray report, PA (posteroanterior), and lateral views of the chest obtained in two images. Cardiomediastinal silhouette and vessels are normal in size. There is borderline central interstitial thickening—faint haziness within the right infrahilar region, probably projectional superimposition of bronchovascular shadows. No pneumothorax, pleural effusion, or focal consolidation. Visualized portions of the osseous tissues and upper abdomen demonstrate no overt acute abnormality. Is the report normal, or does it point towards interstitial lung disease? What are the causes of interstitial thickening? Kindly let me know. Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com. Thank you for the query. I understand your concern. According to your radiological interpretation, you are probably suffering from interstitial lung disease. Interstitial thickening means the repair process of the body gets hampered. The tissue around air sacs or alveoli becomes thickened and scarred, which causes more difficulty in carrying oxygen into the bloodstream. In some conditions or illnesses, where the lungs cannot generate the right amount of tissues to repair the damage, interstitial thickening can occur, which further causes interstitial lung disease or ILD. Interstitial thickening may result from prolonged exposure to asbestos, silica, cotton, dust, coal, or autoimmune diseases like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, sarcoidosis, scleroderma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, genetics, idiopathic (unknown causes), medications like Sulfonamide, Nitrofurantoin, Methotrexate, Amiodarone, and other medicines. It is not a normal condition, and the lung scarring in the interstitial thickening may not be reversed. It would help if you underwent lung function tests to assess your present lung status. I hope this helps. Kindly revert in case of further queries.

Answer 2

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com. A lung function test helps monitor the prognosis of interstitial lung disease. Some people can have abnormalities in HRCT (high-resolution computerized tomography) of the chest that are consistent with interstitial lung disease (ILD) but still have pulmonary function tests (PFT) like oxygen saturation, and vital capacity in a normal range. ILD has different stages like mild, moderate, and severe. ILD may be in the initial stage in your case. Do you have any cough symptoms, shortness of breath, fatigue, chest tightness or pain, weight loss, etc.? If not, then consult a radiologist to interpret your HRCT films again. If needed, he can advise repeating HRCT of the chest or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) of the chest for further assessment. Kindly let me know in case of further questions.