Rehabilitation treatment in diseases of the pulmonary interstitium

. Patients with interstitial lung disease suffer from a wide range of persistent symptoms, such as fatigue, shortness of breath and general weakness. Discussion and Review of Literature. So far, there have scarcely been any specific nonpharmacological treatments to reduce the above mentioned symptoms in the treatment of these patients. However, it has been shown that physical exercise improves health status, exercise capacity, skeletal muscle function and reduces fatigue and dyspnea in patients with chronic lung and heart diseases. These symptoms significantly deteriorate the quality of daily life in these patients. The mechanisms by which dyspnea is produced by interstitial lung diseases differ in some aspects from those of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and they include neuromechanical and physiological limitations, ventilatory-perfusion disorder, damaged diffusion, circulatory and cardiovascular limitations, anxiety, depression, as well as ventilating and skeletal muscle weakness. Early initiation of pulmonary rehabilitation is likely to improve several of these factors, particularly cardiovascular performance, muscular strength and mood disorders. Conclusion. Dysfunction of peripheral and respiratory muscles may contribute to a decrease in exercise tolerance due to systemic manifestations of disease, unwanted therapeutic effects or deconditioning of patients.