Pulmonary Fibrosis

What is Pulmonary Fibrosis?

Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic stage lung disease in which lung tissues get damaged or thicken and prevent the lungs from working properly. The scarring related to the disease can be the result of many factors, by which, in most cases, medical experts get failed to find the exact reason for the problem. The disease can cause breathlessness. It may prevent your body from getting necessary oxygen, resulting in heart failure, respiratory failure, and other severe complications.

What Causes Pulmonary Fibrosis?

• Autoimmune diseases: The immune system attacks the body itself in autoimmune diseases. For example, autoimmune diseases responsible for pulmonary fibrosis include:
  1. Rheumatoid Arthritis
  2. Lupus erythematosus, commonly called lupus
  3. Scleroderma
  4. Polymyositis
  5. Dermatomyositis
  6. Vasculitis
  7. Infections, including bacterial, viral, hepatitis C, herpes, etc.
• Idiopathic: In many cases, the cause of pulmonary fibrosis is not known. When this happens, the condition is called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
• Environmental factors: Exposure to many things around you and in the office also increases the risk of pulmonary fibrosis. For example, smoking cigarettes can damage your lungs because it contains many chemicals. Apart from this, some other things can also damage your lungs. Such as:
  1. Asbestos fiber
  2. Grain dust
• Medications: Certain medicines also increase the risk of pulmonary fibrosis. If you take any of these medicines regularly, it increases your risk. In this case, you need to be under the supervision of a doctor.
  1. Silica dust
  2. Some gas
  3. Radiation

Following Factors Lead To Develop Pulmonary Fibrosis

• Autoimmune disease
• Smoking
• Intake of certain drugs related to the disease
• Engage in an activity related to farming, construction, or mining
• Family history associated with disease
• Undergone cancer treatment, more specifically chest radiation

Complications Associated With Pulmonary Fibrosis

If any disease related to the lungs is not treated on time, then many types of complications can develop from it, such as:

• Severe breathing difficulties
• Breathing difficulties further leads to sleep disturbances. In this condition, you wake up frequently during the night, resulting in feeling tired the whole day.
• People with trouble breathing problem for a long period develop some symptoms such as depression, worry, and panic disorder.

Prevention of Pulmonary Fibrosis

• Quit smoking: Make changes in lifestyle and eating habits. Smokers compulsorily quit it. Secondary smoking is also harmful to your lungs, so stay away from such people.
• Nutritious diet: In pulmonary fibrosis, the weight starts decreasing for some reason. One is difficulty in eating, and the other requires extra energy for breathing. Therefore, take such food, which has enough calories. Instead of three mega meals, take six mini-meals in a day.
• Be active: Being physically vigorous and regular exercise helps maintain the normal functioning of the lungs, which also keeps the stress away.
• Rest: Take 6-8 hours of sleep every day and rest for a while during the day. It will increase the flow of energy in your body, which will also help you deal with the stress arising due to illness.

How Does Pulmonary Fibrosis Progress?

The symptoms of Pulmonary Fibrosis develop gradually, so it is recognized as a progressive disease that naturally worsens with the passing period. The actual worsening is associated with the total scarring amount in the lungs. It makes it difficult for an individual to breathe normally, resulting in breathlessness.

Do Not Delay In Diagnosis!

Early detection of symptoms and early diagnosis not only prevent the progression of the disease but help long life by eliminating the menace of possible complications through proper treatment. The prognosis of the disease perhaps differs in patients depending on their overall health, severity, age, and lifestyle choices. According to healthcare researchers, older age usually means a worse prognosis.

Some crucial tests are done in Pulmonary Fibrosis, such as chest X-ray, CT scan, pulmonary function test, arterial blood gas test, and tissue biopsy.

Understand The Differences In Diagnosis

Since there are many similarities in the symptoms of diseases like Tuberculosis (TB), asthma, and pulmonary fibrosis, doctors often fail to diagnose the condition.In such a situation, some differences you should understand. Fever is present in TB, whereas, in Pulmonary Fibrosis, there is usually no fever. Blood comes in the cough of TB, whereas this cough usually does not contain blood. There is no change in the nails of TB patients, whereas the nails of the patients with Pulmonary Fibrosis become like the beak of a parrot. When TB bacteria are found in the sputum test, this condition recognizes TB.