Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a group of lung disorders that create inflammation and scarring of lung tissue. Different forms of this disorder have different causes.
Without treatment, ILD can worsen over time and can cause life-threatening complications.
If you or a loved one are dealing with a complicated lung disease, you need a team of experts who understand the disease's complexities. Precise diagnosis, education and personalized treatments can help you breathe better and live longer.
Understanding Interstitial Lung Disease and Pulmonary Sarcoidosis
ILD is a broad term that groups together more than 200 types of disorders involving inflammation and scarring of the lungs. It can cause shortness of breath, cough, fatigue, weight loss, pain and life-threatening complications.
This condition can be caused by allergic exposure, environmental exposure, autoimmune disease, genetic predisposition, or other causes. Sometimes ILD has no known cause, known as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
Sarcoidosis of the lung is a complicated type of ILD that often affects multiple organ systems. In addition to the lungs, it can damage the heart, skin, joints, brain and kidneys.
Interstitial Lung Disease and Sarcoidosis Program: The Penn Medicine Advantage
Diagnosing and treating ILD and sarcoidosis is a team effort. At Penn, our program is recognized around the world for comprehensive, expert care.
When you come to Penn for ILD or sarcoidosis treatment, you'll find:
- Expert pulmonologists: Our board-certified pulmonologists are world leaders in Interstitial lung disease. We have a deep understanding of the varied causes of these rarer disorders and the experience to recommend the best treatments for you.
- Multidisciplinary care team: Your care team also includes chest radiologists, lung pathologists, palliative care specialists, pharmacists and social workers. They all have specialty training and extensive experience with lung disease. Our team meets regularly to discuss challenging diagnoses, review treatment plans, and make sure you're getting the specialized care and attention you need. Meet our ILD and Sarcoidosis Team.
- Accurate diagnosis: Interstitial lung disease and sarcoidosis can be difficult to diagnose, but accurate diagnosis is critical to determining the right course of treatment. At Penn, we have the experience to recognize the patterns of these diseases and get to the right diagnosis quickly. Our experts recognize the subtle signs of these conditions and can often make a diagnosis based on imaging alone, without invasive surgical biopsy. Learn more about
ILD diagnosis and pulmonary sarcoidosis diagnosis at Penn.
- Leading-edge treatments: Our specialists have deep experience determining when ILD and sarcoidosis need treatment and finding the right therapies for you. Penn is among only a few programs to offer two novel treatments for ILD aimed at slowing the progression of the disease. Your care team has extensive experience with these novel treatments and their side effects. Learn more about ILD treatment and pulmonary sarcoidosis treatment at Penn.
- Robust research program: We are dedicated to advancing understanding of interstitial lung disease and sarcoidosis. Our research program includes a registry of patients with ILD, a blood and tissue repository, genetic testing, and clinical trials of new therapies. Our commitment to research helps us improve diagnosis and treatment and allows us to offer patients new therapies still in development.
- Family-focused care: We understand that a complex lung disease diagnosis affects the whole family. Your loved ones are always welcome to join discussions about your treatment. We offer appointments via telemedicine to make working with us more convenient. We also offer support groups for both patients and loved ones to help you gain knowledge and share experiences.
- Access to other Penn experts: Patients with lung diseases often need additional care from rheumatologists, cardiologists, oncologists, transplant teams and other specialists. Penn's vast network of specialists assures you get care in any other field you may need. We collaborate closely with the world-class Abramson Cancer Center, Penn Heart and Vascular Center and Penn Transplant Institute.
Make an Appointment
Please call 800-789-7366 or request a callback.