Lung disease cases causing permanent scarring on the rise
Times of India | 15 March 2024
Kolkata: An increased incidence of interstitial lung disease (ILD), a condition in which the lungs suffer a progressive and irreversible scarring, has been observed by city physicians. While the disease may begin with a persistent dry cough, fatigue and shortness of breath, it can progress fast. But due to lack of awareness, patients are often seeking treatment late and landing up in hospital when the scarring has turned irreversible.
“The pick up rate for ILD has increased post-Covid as people have become more aware about lung health. While there is no cure for ILD, early detection and timely medication can manage patients well, slowing down the progress of the disease,” said rheumatologist and internal medicine specialist of Apollo Multispecialty Hospital (AMH) during the launch of the hospital’s ILD clinic on Thursday.
ILD is a spectrum of uncommon conditions that causes inflammation and scarring of the lung. Chronic cough, progressively worsening breathlessness are the common symptoms. The life expectancy of a patient is between three to five years if detected late when only a lung transplant is left as a treatment option.
“We got a 41-year-old patient who came to us at the end stage of ILD. We could manage him for around two months on ECMO support while we waited for a lung so that a transplant could be done. But he died as a matching lung was not available. That is why we need to prevent the disease from progressing,” said ECMO physician Arpan Chakraborty. Critical care specialist Suresh Ramasubban cautioned not to ignore cough persisting for more than two weeks.
Doctors said any viral infection, including Covid-19, could act as a trigger for ILD and the number of detected cases could be only a tip of the iceberg. “Any upper respiratory tract infection, be it pneumonia, influenza-triggered chest infection, bronchitis, Covid or adenovirus, the lungs are affected. In most cases, the condition is reversed with treatment, but in adults, some do suffer permanent damage,” said CMRI Hospital pulmonology director Raja Dhar.
“We hope our comprehensive ILD clinic will go a long way in dealing with and combating the disease,” said Rana Dasgupta, CEO, eastern region, Apollo Hospitals Group.