34^th Global Summit Pulmonary Diseases & Treatment

Diffuse Lung Disease

Diffuse lung disease is a term that refers to a set of lung ailments that damage the interstitium, which is the connective tissue that creates the support structure for the lungs' alveoli (air sacs). When you inhale normally, the air sacs fill with air and oxygen enters the bloodstream. Carbon dioxide that has travelled from the blood into the air sacs is evacuated from the body when you exhale. The lung becomes inflamed and stiff as a result of interstitial lung disease, preventing the air sacs from fully expanding. Both the transport of oxygen to the bloodstream and the elimination of carbon dioxide from the organism are hampered as a result. The interstitium thickens as the disease advances, impeding lung function even further.