Respiratory
Interstitial Lung Disease
An umbrella term for conditions that scar or stiffen lung tissue.
What is Interstitial Lung Disease?
Interstitial lung disease covers a wide family of conditions that affect the tissue and space around the lungs' air sacs, most of them leading to some degree of stiffening or scarring over time. People often describe a dry cough and breathlessness that builds gradually, sometimes for years before a diagnosis is reached, since early symptoms can be easy to dismiss as simply getting older or less fit.
How regenerative medicine supports it
Because ILD is such a broad category, we start by understanding exactly which pattern you've been diagnosed with from your pulmonologist's high-resolution CT and lung function tests, since that changes what's realistic considerably. Support focuses on reducing inflammation and supporting oxygenation, tracked through spirometry and walk tests alongside your specialist's monitoring. Where genuine fibrotic scarring is present, as covered on our pulmonary fibrosis page, that tissue change doesn't reverse and anti-fibrotic medication remains central to your care.
Treatments we would consider
Options discussed for this condition
Listed for orientation only. What is actually prescribed depends on your records.
- MSC TherapyMedical team-guided stem cell therapy using mesenchymal cells for joint, immune and whole-body recovery.
- Exosome TherapySignalling-rich exosome protocols, often combined with stem cell therapy, supporting tissue repair, recovery and aesthetics.
- NAD+ IV TherapyNAD+ infusions supporting cellular energy, focus and longevity programs.
- HBOT (Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy)Pressurised oxygen sessions supporting wound healing, recovery and tissue oxygenation.
If the evidence for treating interstitial lung disease this way is thin, we will tell you before you book — and the review is not billed.
Interstitial Lung Disease — Questions Patients Ask
Is this the same as pulmonary fibrosis?
Not exactly — pulmonary fibrosis is one specific and more advanced outcome within the ILD family, involving established scarring, whereas ILD is the broader umbrella covering many different patterns and causes.
How would I know which type of ILD I have?
That's determined by your pulmonologist through high-resolution CT imaging and sometimes biopsy, and it genuinely matters — different ILD subtypes have quite different outlooks and treatments.
Can early-stage ILD be stopped from progressing?
Some inflammatory forms respond well to treatment and can stabilise, particularly if caught early, but we can't promise that outcome for every subtype, and disease-modifying medication from your specialist remains key.
Will this replace immunosuppressant medication I've been prescribed?
No — if you're on immunosuppressants or anti-inflammatory medication for an ILD diagnosis, those decisions and dosing stay with your prescribing specialist throughout.
What if my ILD has already progressed to significant scarring?
At that point we'd talk through the same honest limits as with pulmonary fibrosis — established scarring doesn't reverse, and the focus shifts to supporting function and comfort within that reality.
Reviewed by Bangkok Stem Cell Center Medical Team | Last updated: August 2026
