Oncology & Cancer Case Reports

Acute Interstitial Pneumonitis (AIP) is an acute, idiopathic interstitial lung disease

Daniel Swedan^{* *}Correspondence: Daniel Swedan, Managing Editor, Journal of Oncology and Cancer Case Reports, Chaussee de la Hulpe 181, Brussels,, Belgium, Email:

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Perspective

Acute Interstitial Pneumonitis (AIP) is an acute, idiopathic interstitial lung disease characterized by rapidly progressive diffuse pulmonary infiltrates and hypoxemia requiring hospitalization. The case-fatality ratio is high. Previous reports suggested that survivors of the acute event have a favorable outcome. However, since pneumonia is usually associated with an infection, some doctors choose to use the term "interstitial pneumonitis" to refer to inflammation in the interstitial space since many of the causes of this inflammation are not infections.

Patients should seek medical advice earlier before respiratory deterioration. There is no specific test for acute interstitial pneumonia, and the only way to confirm it is a lung biopsy. There is no specific medication to treat acute interstitial pneumonia. Management is generally supportive. Bilateral interstitial pneumonia is a serious infection that can inflame and scar your lungs. It's one of many types of interstitial lung diseases, which affect the tissue around the tiny air sacs in your lungs.

Pneumonitis (noo-moe-NIE-tis) is a general term that refers to inflammation of lung tissue. Technically, pneumonia is a type of pneumonitis because the infection causes inflammation. Pneumonitis, however, is usually used by doctors to refer to noninfectious causes of lung inflammation. This imaging test is key to, and sometimes the first step in, the diagnosis of interstitial lung disease. CT scanners use a computer to combine X-ray images taken from many different angles to produce cross-sectional images of internal structures.

Diagnosis can be challenging, and there is currently no cure for the disorder. There are treatment options that can help with management of the symptoms, however. Treatment also includes lifestyle changes to slow progression, as much as possible. The average survival for people with this type is currently 3 to 5 years. It can be longer with certain medications and depending on its course. People with other types of interstitial lung disease, like sarcoidosis, can live much longer.

Examples of known causes of UIP include connective tissue diseases (primarily rheumatoid arthritis), drug toxicity, chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis, asbestosis and Hermansky-Pudlak. All interstitial lung diseases affect the interstitium, a part of your lungs. The interstitium is a lace-like network of tissue that goes throughout both lungs. It supports your lungs' tiny air sacs, called alveoli. Normally, the interstitium is so thin that it doesn't show up on X-rays or CT scans. ILD may result in four patterns of abnormal opacity on chest radiographs and CT scans: linear, reticular, nodular and reticulonodular. These patterns are more accurately and specifically defined on CT. A linear pattern is seen when there is thickening of the interlobular septa, producing Kerley lines.

When this happens, the body's organs, like the heart and the brain, do not receive the oxygen they need to function properly. As chronic ILD with progressive fibrosis worsens, sheets of dense scar tissue replace normal lung tissue and shrink the size of the lung.

The most common treatment for severe pneumonitis is a long course of corticosteroids, such as prednisone. These are powerful anti-inflammatory medications that can reduce inflammation in your lungs by suppressing your immune system. When you do your research, you may see average survival is between three to five years. This number is an average. There are patients who live less than three years after diagnosis, and others who live much longer.