What Is Pulminary Fibrosis?

Pulmonary fibrosis is a disease that causes scarring to the tissue of the lungs. It stems from repeated injured inflicted to the tissue around and within the air sacs. Once damaged too much, the scar tissue hardens and makes it difficult to breathe.

Symptoms

• The most common symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis are a dry cough and the inability to catch one's breath after physical activity. Other common symptoms include exhaustion, weight loss and pain in the joints. Usually symptoms do not appear until the disease is well advanced. Since the symptoms are usually mild at first, most people do not recognize something is wrong until it is too late and the scarring is irreversible. The severity of symptoms will vary from person to person but they are always progressive.

Risks

• Pulmonary fibrosis mostly strikes middle-aged people. More men than women get pulmonary fibrosis. There is also a variation of the disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in which the doctor is not able to determine the cause of the lung damage. It is thought smoking, genetic issues or a virus may cause this variation. It is also believed that the Epstein-Barr virus may be responsible for pulmonary fibrosis.

Causes

• Many different factors can cause the damage that leads to pulmonary fibrosis. While the body normally makes enough tissue to heal tissue damage, people with pulmonary fibrosis are unable to make these repairs. Long-term exposures to substances such as asbestos, silica, animal waste and dust from grain can damage the lungs. Also, people who have received radiation treatment for some cancers can display damaged lungs. The extent of the damage depends on the amount of time the lungs were exposed to radiation.

Other Causes

• Medications such as those used in chemotherapy can damage the lungs. Some antibiotics and drugs used to treat heart conditions can also be dangerous. Another condition that can damage the lungs is gastroesophageal reflux disease. When stomach acid goes up into the esophagus, it can scar the lungs. Lung damage is also caused by many other diseases such as tuberculosis, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

Treatment

• Pulmonary fibrosis is a permanent condition. Most treatments are geared to slow its progression and improve quality of life, although most medications have no positive effect on slowing the disease. Doctors may prescribe steroids, but their negative effects often outweigh the benefits. N-acetylcysteine, an amino acid, has been shown to slow the progress. of pulmonary fibrosis. While lung transplant may be an option for younger patients, other treatments include oxygen therapy and pulmonary rehabilitation.