LUCKNOW: In UP, Interstitial Lung Diseases have recorded a 10-fold increase over a decade, according to pulmonary medicine department of King George’s Medical University.ILD is a group of 200 chronic lung disorders. Considered deadlier than cancer, ILD affects the tissue between air sacs of the lung, hampering the process of oxygen diffusion in the body that leads of shortness of breath and a sinking feeling even with a little exertion. Symptoms worsen rapidly and the disease’s progression may be unpredictable.“ILD has really bothered pulmonary physicians across India. About a decade ago, we got to see 30-40 cases per year in KGMU. Now, 30-40 cases come every month. Thus, a 10-fold increase is clear,” said Prof Suryakant, head of pulmonary medicine department at KGMU and president of Indian Chest Society. Trends are equally worrisome in private sector. Privately practising pulmonologist Dr BP Singh said, “We have noted a four-fold increase in cases of ILD.”The concern over ILD is high because 50% of cases are of idiopathic origin, which means that their cause is unknown.“The disease is largely incurable and a person diagnosed with it cannot live for more than 2-5 years,” explained Dr Singh.Auto-immune disease, certain forms of arthritis and drug reactions can be some of the other causes. “Unless diagnosed early, ILD of known origin doesn’t give good results with medicines,” he said.Former faculty, department of pulmonary medicine, Jaipur Medical College, Prof Virendra Singh pointed out that failure of physicians and chest experts to diagnose ILD was a challenge.Alarmed over the situation, Dr BP Singh’s charitable organisation on lung diseases has dedicated several sessions to ILD in its annual respiratory, critical care and sleep medicine update slated to take place on Sunday.“Doctors often confuse ILD with chronic pulmonary obstructive disease and bronchial asthma which delays the management of disease,” said Prof Suryakant. Dr Singh added that timely diagnosis of ILD can increase average life expectancy by 50%.Prof Suryakant, who was a part of India’s first multi-centric study of 1,000 ILD patients, noted hypersensitive pneumonitis as the most likely cause of idiopathic ILD. “Things which are dismissed as way of life like exposure to saw dust or pigeon feather strands can cause this disease,” he said.