Pulmonary Fibrosis
What is pulmonary fibrosis?
What causes pulmonary fibrosis?
Who gets pulmonary fibrosis?
What are the symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis?
What is pulmonary fibrosis?
"Pulmonary" refers to lungs, and "fibrosis" is a term used to refer to scarring, so pulmonary fibrosis means scarring throughout the lungs. In pulmonary fibrosis, the air sacs in the lungs gradually become replaced by scar tissue. When scar tissue develops in the lungs, oxygen cannot be delivered to the body.
What causes pulmonary fibrosis?
Pulmonary fibrosis can be caused by many conditions, including chronic inflammatory processes, infections, environmental agents (asbestos, silica, exposure to certain gases), exposure to ionizing radiation (such as radiation therapy to treat tumors of the chest), chronic conditions (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis) and certain medications.
In some people, the disease may develop without an identifiable cause. This is called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Most people with IPF do not respond to medical therapy, while some of the other types of fibrosis, such as nonspecific interstitial pneumonitis, may respond to immune suppressive therapy.
While there is no known cause of pulmonary fibrosis, there are certain risk factors that contribute to its development. These include:
- Cigarette smoking
- Inhaled environmental and occupational pollutants
- Diseases such as scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and sarcoidosis
- Infections (Epstein Barr virus, hepatitis C)
- Certain medications
- Therapeutic radiation
- Family history
- Rheumatologic disorders.
Who gets pulmonary fibrosis?
Worldwide, more than 500,000 people are diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis each year. The disease most commonly affects males between the ages of 40 to 70. Most people are diagnosed in their 60s. However, people of all sexes and ages have been diagnosed with the disease.
What are the symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis?
The signs and symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis can be vague and often are initially attributed to other things such as a bad cold or the flu. As a result, the disease is frequently not diagnosed until it is advanced. Symptoms usually progress over several months or years and may include:
- Shortness of breath (dyspnea)
- Chronic dry, hacking cough
- Chest discomfort
- Loss of appetite and weight loss
- Fatigue and weakness
- The severity of symptoms and the worsening of symptoms over time can vary and are at least partially dependent upon the cause of the fibrosis.
How to treat Pulmonary Fibrosis
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