Interstitial lung disease (ILD), or diffuse parenchymal lung disease (DPLD), is a group of respiratory diseases affecting the interstitium (the tissue and space around the alveoli (air sacs)) of the lungs. It concerns alveolar epithelium, pulmonary capillary endothelium, basement membrane, and perivascular and perilymphatic tissues. It may occur when an injury to the lungs triggers an abnormal healing response. Ordinarily, the body generates just the right amount of tissue to repair damage, but in interstitial lung disease, the repair process is disrupted, and the tissue around the air sacs (alveoli) becomes scarred and thickened. This makes it more difficult for oxygen to pass into the bloodstream. The disease presents itself with the following symptoms: shortness of breath, nonproductive coughing, fatigue, and weight loss, which tend to develop slowly, over several months. The average rate of survival for someone with this disease is between three and five years. The term ILD is used to distinguish these diseases from obstructive airways diseases. There are specific types in children, known as childrens interstitial lung diseases. The acronym ChILD is sometimes used for this group of diseases.Prolonged ILD may result in pulmonary fibrosis, but this is not always the case. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is interstitial lung disease for which no obvious cause can be identified (idiopathic) and is associated with typical findings both radiographic (basal and pleural-based fibrosis with honeycombing) and pathologic (temporally and spatially heterogeneous fibrosis, histopathologic honeycombing, and fibroblastic foci). In 2015, interstitial lung disease, together with pulmonary sarcoidosis, affected 1.9 million people.
They resulted in 122,000 deaths. Causes
An ILD may be classified as to whether its cause is not known (idiopathic) or known (secondary). Idiopathic
Idiopathic interstitial pneumonia is the term given to ILDs with an unknown cause. They represent the majority of cases of interstitial lung diseases (up to two-thirds of cases). They were subclassified by the American Thoracic Society in 2002 into 7 subgroups:
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF): the most common subgroup
Desquamative interstitial pneumonia (DIP)
Acute interstitial pneumonia (AIP): also known as Hamman-Rich syndrome
Nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP)
Respiratory bronchiolitis-associated interstitial lung disease (RB-ILD)
Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP): also known by the older name bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP)
Lymphoid interstitial pneumonia (LIP)

Secondary
Secondary ILDs are those diseases with a known etiology, including:
Connective tissue and Autoimmune diseases
Sarcoidosis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Systemic sclerosis
Polymyositis
Dermatomyositis
Antisynthetase syndrome
Inhaled substances (Pneumoconiosis)
Inorganic
Silicosis
Asbestosis
Berylliosis
Industrial printing chemicals (e.g. carbon black, ink mist)
Organic
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (extrinisic allergic alveolitis)
Drug-induced
Antibiotics
Chemotherapeutic drugs
Antiarrhythmic agents
Cigarette smoking 
Infection
Coronavirus disease 2019
Atypical pneumonia
Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP)
Tuberculosis
Chlamydia trachomatis
Respiratory Syncytial Virus
Malignancy
Lymphangitic carcinomatosis
Predominately in children
Diffuse developmental disorders
Growth abnormalities deficient alveolarisation
Infant conditions of undefined cause
ILD related to alveolar surfactant region

Diagnosis
Investigation is tailored towards the symptoms and signs. A proper and detailed history looking for the occupational exposures, and for signs of conditions listed above is the first and probably the most important part of the workup in patients with interstitial lung disease. Pulmonary function tests usually show a restrictive defect with decreased diffusion capacity (DLCO).A lung biopsy is required if the clinical history and imaging are not clearly suggestive of a specific diagnosis or malignancy cannot otherwise be ruled out.