Interstitial Lung Disease Center

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a broad category of lung diseases characterized by scarring or fibrosis of the lungs. Most of these diseases have no known cause. Some of the known causes include occupational and environmental exposure (asbestos, silica, hard metal dusts, bacteria, animal proteins, gases, fumes), drugs (chemotherapeutic agents, antiarrhythmics, and antibiotics), radiation, residue of active infection of any type, and connective tissue disease (systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, polymyositis/dermatomyositis).

The UCLA Interstitial Lung Disease Program is the first in the west coast specifically dedicated to the care of patients with this group of disorders. The program offers a multidisciplinary approach to the diagnosis and treatment of patients with interstitial lung disease. It includes experts in the fields of pulmonary medicine, thoracic surgery, radiology, pathology, nutrition, and rehabilitation medicine. After a comprehensive evaluation, we will discuss the diagnosis and management of your patient, which may include standard immunosuppressive therapy, antifibrotic therapy with novel agents, as well as, lung transplantation.
Reflecting our expertise in interstitial lung disease, we are one of three centers in the country awarded with a Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the pathobiology of fibrotic lung disorders. In addition, our program is an active participant in a variety of ongoing clinical trials and future studies are planned as well.

Faculty

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