Interstitial lung abnormalities: What do we know and how do we manage?

Expert Rev Respir Med. 2021 Oct 23. doi: 10.1080/17476348.2021.1997598. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTInterstitial lung abnormalities (ILAs), which refers to mild or subtle non-gravity dependent interstitial changes, may be neglected by some clinicians due to many reasons, such as lack of diagnostic criteria for ILAs, and absence of available treatments and surveillance strategies. However, without intervention, some ILAs may progress to interstitial lung disease (ILD). This review summarizes our current knowledge of this condition and ways of diagnosing it together with with current management. We hope that will lead to better recognition of ILAs.Areas coveredWe reviewed the literature on PubMed between 2008 and 2020 focusing on prevalence, etiology, symptoms, diagnostic biomarkers, clinical associations and management of ILAs.Expert opinionTimely diagnosis with close monitoring of ILAs and appropriate intervention should be recognized as the management approach to ILAs. Research into ILAs should continue to improve its management.PMID:34689661 | DOI:10.1080/17476348.2021.1997598
Source: Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine - Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Source Type: research