Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Interstitial Lung Diseases
Interstitial lung disease is the name for a large group of diseases that inflame or scar the lungs. The inflammation and scarring make it hard to get enough oxygen. The scarring is called pulmonary fibrosis.
Breathing in dust or other particles in the air is responsible for some types of interstitial lung diseases. Specific types include:
- Black lung disease among coal miners, from inhaling coal dust
- Farmer's lung, from inhaling farm dust
- Asbestosis, from inhaling asbestos fibers
- Siderosis, from inhaling iron from mines or welding fumes
- Silicosis, from inhaling silica dust
Other causes include autoimmune diseases or occupational exposures to molds, gases, or fumes. Some types of interstitial lung disease have no known cause.
Treatment depends on the type of exposure and the stage of the disease. It may involve medicines, oxygen therapy, or a lung transplant in severe cases.
It sits within Lungs and Breathing.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Interstitial Lung Diseases
1,733 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- An Open-label Extension Study of XTMAB-16 in Patients With Pulmonary SarcoidosisXentria, Inc.
- Efficacy and Safety of Golidocitinib for Rapidly Progressive Interstitial Lung DiseasePeking Union Medical College Hospital
- Fibrotic Disease Activity in Cardiopulmonary Disorders Using 18F-Fibroblast Activation Protein Inhibitor (18F-FAPI-74) PET/CT ImagingNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
- Efficacy and Safety Study of OATD-01 in Patients With Active Pulmonary SarcoidosisMolecure S.A.
- Study to Evaluate the Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of PIPE 791 in Subjects With Idiopathic Pulmonary FibrosisContineum Therapeutics
- A Study With Tovorafenib (DAY101) as a Treatment Option for Progressive, Relapsed, or Refractory Langerhans Cell HistiocytosisNational Cancer Institute (NCI)
Research already completed
- A Study to Test Whether BI 1819479 Improves Lung Function in People With Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF)Boehringer Ingelheim
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Interstitial Lung DiseaseMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Occupational Lung DiseasesAmerican Lung Association
- What Are Interstitial Lung Diseases?National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
- What is Interstitial Lung Disease?National Jewish Health
Diagnosis and Tests
- Lung Function TestsNational Library of Medicine
- Shortness of BreathAmerican Academy of Family Physicians
- Tests for Lung DiseaseNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Treatments and Therapies
- Interstitial Lung Diseases TreatmentNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
- Lung Disease TreatmentsNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Respiratory ProtectionOccupational Safety and Health Administration
- Seven Steps to Correctly Wear a Respirator at WorkOccupational Safety and Health Administration
- Signs of Unhealthy Indoor AirAmerican Lung Association
Living With
- Oxygen Therapy: MedlinePlus Health TopicNational Library of Medicine
- Pulmonary Rehabilitation: MedlinePlus Health TopicNational Library of Medicine
Related Issues
- Crystalline SilicaOccupational Safety and Health Administration
- Dusts and MoldsNational Farm Medicine Center
- Particulate Matter (PM) PollutionEnvironmental Protection Agency
- ToxFAQs for BerylliumCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
Genetics
- Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
- Surfactant dysfunction: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: AnthracosisNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Lung Diseases, InterstitialNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: PneumoconiosisNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Lung Diseases, Interstitial. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Interstitial Lung Diseases, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.