Fatal lung disease may have caused Covid deaths

While there are about 200 types of ILD, if a person is diagnosed at the juncture of lung inflammation, the disease can be cured. But it "tends to be overlooked" and the coughs get treated for asthma, or other lung disorders

New Delhi: A fatal lung disease that begins with dry cough, causes breathing difficulty, and worsens over years may have played a significant role in the deaths caused by Covid-19 infections, according to a scientist duo.

Much like cancer, the disease called interstitial lung disease (ILD), goes undetected for years.

As the disease progresses, the lung shrink, making it difficult for the patient to breathe.

India has an incidence rate of 10 to 20 cases per 100,000 in the population related to industries and lung diseases.

"The interstitium is the connective tissue between two sacs or the region that links alveoli together in the lungs. When this interstitium thickens, it constricts the air sacs, reducing lung size. This constriction leads to a decrease in airway size, resulting in a significant reduction in the overall oxygen intake. This condition, known as restriction, involves compression due to the shrinking of connective tissue between the lung alveoli," Dr Asmita Mehta, Professor and HoD of Respiratory Medicine at Amrita Hospital Kochi, told.

What makes the disease fatal is the late diagnosis, said the distinguished pulmonologist.

"By the time the patient will come to us, it will be too late because the diagnosis of ILD happens very late. ILD starts with a very, very minor symptom, dry cough and breathing difficulty, which progresses over years. Just like cancer, the diagnosis of ILD is also delayed," she said.