Interstitial lung disease (ILD) include a heterogeneous group of progressive, acute and chronic diseases that diffusely affect the lung and characterized by varying degrees of inflammation and fibrosis in the lung parenchyma. The disease group usually shows a restrictive pattern and progresses with gas exchange abnormalities.~Progressive lung fibrosis was first described in 1935. Over the years, more than 150 lung disease characterized by acute or chronic pulmonary fibrosis of varying degrees with known or unknown cause have been defined and these diseases were named interstitial lung disease (ILD) in 1970s. Common symptoms in chronic interstitial lung diseases in general; dyspnea, dry cough, exercise intolerance and fatigue. All these features of interstitial lung diseases cause an increase in respiratory work and ventilatory deterioration in exercise. Apart from these general features, muscle weakness and related exercise intolerance may occur in some specific conditions.~The most important factor limiting exercise capacity in these patients is circulatory disorder, which cause exercise induced deterioration in gas exchange. Hypoxemia induced exercise intolerance causes a decrease in health-related quality of life, limitation of functional capacity and inactivity in daily life.~According to the American Thoracic Society (ATS) / European Respiratory Society (ERS) respiratory rehabilitation guideline, although the data are not conclusive, inspiratory muscle training is recommended as an adjunct to pulmonary rehabilitation, especially in patients with suspected or confirmed respiratory muscle weakness. The effect of well-structured and supervised inspiratory muscle training (IMT) on respiratory functions, diaphragm weakness, functional capacity, balance and quality of life in patients with interstitial lung disease is unknown.~It is important that this research will be carried out in this area and because it has a current subject.
The aim of this study is to investigate the possible effects of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) on respiratory functions, functional capacity, balance and quality of life in patients with interstitial lung disease.