Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine in Minnesota

Interstitial Lung Disease Clinic

The interstitial lung diseases are a group of disorders characterized by the abnormal accumulation of cells and/or noncellular material within the walls of the air sacs (alveoli) of the lungs. This process results in thickening and stiffness of the normally elastic tissues of the lung, and thus interferes with normal breathing, so that patients with interstitial lung diseases often breathe in a rapid and shallow manner. Many patients are short of breath on exertion, especially at higher altitudes, and some have a bothersome cough, which is usually dry.

Although more than 100 conditions can cause scarring of the lungs, most are either rare or are obvious from a clinical history of previous events and exposures. Fortunately, most patients have one of the common diseases, each of which tends to have rather clear-cut features.

Conditions and Symptoms Treated

• Acute interstitial pneumonia (Hamman-Rich syndrome, idiopathic ARDS)
• Alveolar proteinosis, pulmonary phospholipoproteinosis
• Asbestosis
• Berylliosis
• Black lung disease
• Coal worker's pneumoconiosis (black lung disease)
• Connective-tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease
• Desquamative interstitial pneumonia (DIP)
• Farmer's lung
• Hamman-Rich syndrome
• Hard-metal pneumoconiosis
• Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HSP)
• Interstitial lung disease
• Lupus lung, systemic lupus erythematosus
• Lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia (LIP)
• Mixed connective tissue disease
• Nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP)
• Pigeon breeder's disease
• Pneumoconiosis
• Polymyositis, dermatomyositis
• Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis
• Pulmonary eosinophilic granuloma (EG), histiocytosis X (HX), or Langerhans cell granulomatosis
• Pulmonary fibrosis, or idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)
• Respiratory bronchiolitis and respiratory bronchiolitis-associated interstitial lung disease (RB-ILD)
• Rheumatoid lung
• Sarcoidosis
• Scleroderma lung
• Silicosis
• Smoker's bronchiolitis
• Usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP)

Appointments

Patients may make an appointment by calling the Appointment Information Desk at
507-538-3270, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central time Monday through Friday.

Referring physicians may refer a patient by calling
507-266-5770.

Staff

Biostatistics
James F. Lymp, Ph.D.
Kenneth Offord
Darrell Schroeder
Paul Decker

Pulmonary Medicine
Sanjay Kalra, M.D.
Andrew H. Limper, M.D.
Eric J. Olson, M.D.
Jay H. Ryu, M.D.
Ulrich Specks, M.D.
Karen L. Swanson, D.O.
Charles F. Thomas, Jr., M.D.
James P. Utz, M.D.
Robert Vassallo, M.D.

Radiology
Gregory L. Aughenbaugh, M.D.
Thomas E. Hartman, M.D.
Stephen J. Swensen, M.D.
Anne-Marie G. Sykes, M.D.

Rheumatology
Eric L. Matteson, M.D.

Surgical Pathology
Mary E. Fidler, M.D.
Mari-Christine Aubry, M.D.