Common signs and symptoms include1-3:
![dry cough icon dry cough icon](/us/insights-in-ild/sites/default/files/2023-08/img1.png)
Nonproductive (dry) cough
![dyspnea icon dyspnea icon](/us/insights-in-ild/sites/default/files/2023-08/img2.png)
Dyspnea
![lung crackle icon lung crackle icon](/us/insights-in-ild/sites/default/files/2023-08/img3.png)
Dry inspiratory crackles,
typically heard at the lung bases
Other signs and symptoms4-6:
- Finger clubbing
- Fatigue/weakness
- Unexplained weight loss
- Loss of appetite
- Chest pain
- Sleeping difficulties
Awareness of patient language can help identify the symptoms of ILD7
In a study investigating patients’ perspectives on living with interstitial lung disease (ILD), common descriptors for "shortness of breath," "breathlessness," and uncomfortable sensations related to inspiration included:
too big of a breath…the bottom of my lungs will cramp
can’t get that deep inhale
can’t breathe in without it squeezing my chest
Not all breathlessness is COPD, asthma, or CHF8,9
Consider ILD in your patients who experience unexplained breathlessnessAuscultation can provide vital information in an ILD2,3,10
Dry inspiratory crackles at the lung bases can be a key indicator of ILD. Typically, dry inspiratory crackles can be heard during middle to late inspiration, do not clear with cough, and have a short duration.
![listen for dry inspiratory crackles at the bases of
the lungs graphic listen for dry inspiratory crackles at the bases of the lungs graphic](/us/insights-in-ild/sites/default/files/2023-08/PCP_CrackleSound_Infographic%202.png)
![listen for dry inspiratory crackles at the bases of
the lungs graphic listen for dry inspiratory crackles at the bases of the lungs graphic](/us/insights-in-ild/sites/default/files/2023-09/lung%20bases%20mobile.png)
![velcro icon velcro icon](/us/insights-in-ild/sites/default/files/2023-08/crackles_icon.png)
A particularly distinctive feature of dry inspiratory crackles in ILD is that they sound like *VELCRO® Brand Fastener being peeled apart.2,3
*VELCRO® is a registered trademark. Used with permission.
Listen to the audio clips below and compare dry inspiratory crackles in ILD to other breath sounds.
Dry inspiratory crackles in ILD
Breath sounds of COPD
Normal breath sounds
Note: Recordings were made with a 3MTM Littmann® Electronic Stethoscope 3200 in a clinic setting with patients at rest†
†3M and Littmann are marks and/or registered marks of 3M.
Dry inspiratory crackles are distinct from coarse crackles11-13
Review the chart below to help differentiate the two sounds.
![](/us/insights-in-ild/sites/default/files/2023-08/Chart_0.png)
![](/us/insights-in-ild/sites/default/files/2023-09/Chart_3x.png)
IF YOU HEAR DRY INSPIRATORY CRACKLES AT THE LUNG BASES,
EVALUATE FURTHER FOR ILD AND CONSIDER CONSULTING A
LUNG SPECIALIST
Sounding the ILD alarm: Patients living with ILD share their early symptoms
![ILD patient 7 ILD patient 7](/us/insights-in-ild/sites/default/files/2023-09/man.png)
…I had never heard of IPF until I was diagnosed. My symptoms began as what I thought was just a bad cold with fits of dry cough.
-Tom, living with IPF
![ILD patient 8 ILD patient 8](/us/insights-in-ild/sites/default/files/2023-08/woman.png)
I’d taken an afternoon off work to see my doctor about some pretty mild shortness of breath. […] [My doctor] said that my blood oxygen was so low that I could faint if I went to work. -Vicky, living with MCTD-associated ILD
IPF, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; MCTD, mixed connective tissue disease.
References
- Wong C et al. Cureus. 2018;10(10):e3991.
- Kraman SS. Arch Intern Med. 1986;146(7):1411-1412.
- Raghu G et al; on behalf of the ATS/ERS/JRS/ALAT Committee on Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2018;198(5):e44-e68.
- Zibrak JD, Price D. NPJ Prim Care Respir Med. 2014;24:14054.
- Cosgrove GP et al. BMC Pulm Med. 2018;18(1):9.
- Schiza S et al. Eur Respir Rev. 2015;24(136):327-339.
- Mittoo S et al. Curr Respir Med Rev. 2015;11(2):175-183.
- Mason RJ et al. Murray & Nadel’s Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 5th ed. Saunders Elsevier; 2010.
- Olson AL et al. Patient Relat Outcome Meas. 2016;7:29-35.
- Sgalla G et al. BMC Pulm Med. 2018;18(1):103.
- Sarkar M et al. Ann Thorac Med. 2015;10(3):158-168.
- Mikami R et al. Chest. 1987;92(2):342-345.
- Forgacs P. Chest. 1978;73(3):399-405.
- Wijsenbeek M et al. N Engl J Med. 2020;383(10):958-968.