Lung Fibrosis Expert in Perumbakkam
Your Trusted Partner in Lung fibrosis
Pulmonary fibrosis is a group of serious lung diseases that affect the respiratory system. We are here to provide you with top-notch care and guidance to tackle your problems.
Understanding Lung Fibrosis
Causes of Lung Fibrosis
The lung damage gradually gets worse over time. Hard, stiff lung tissues don’t expand as well as they should, making it harder to breathe. Pulmonary fibrosis may cause shortness of breath when you do routine tasks that never seemed tiring before.
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Occupational and environmental factors: silica dust, asbestos fibres, col dust, grain dust, hard metal dusts, bird & animal droppings.
Radiation treatments Some people who receive radiation therapy for lung or breast cancer show signs of lung damage months or sometimes years after the initial treatment. The severity of the damage may depend on:
- How much of the lung was exposed to radiation
- The total amount of radiation administered
- Whether chemotherapy also was used
- The presence of underlying lung disease
Symptoms of Lung Fibrosis:
- Breathing in short, shallow spurts
- Dry cough that doesn’t go away
- Fatigue (extreme tiredness, no matter how much you sleep).
- Shortness of breath, especially during or soon after you exercise.
- Weight loss that’s not on purpose or easily explained.
- Clubbing, fingertips or toes that look different, such as wider or more round
- Cyanosis, bluish skin
Medications
Many drugs can damage your lungs, especially medications such as:
- Chemotherapy drugs. Drugs designed to kill cancer cells, such as methotrexate (Trexall, Otrexup, others) and cyclophosphamide, can also damage lung tissue.
- Heart medications. Some drugs used to treat irregular heartbeats, such as amiodarone (Cordarone, NextiraOne, Pacerone), may harm lung tissue.
- Some antibiotics. Antibiotics such as nitrofurantoin (Macrobid, Macrodantin, others) or ethambutol can cause lung damage.
- Anti-inflammatory drugs. Certain anti-inflammatory drugs such as rituximab (Rituxan) or sulfasalazine (Azulfidine) can cause lung damage.
Treatments
Medication: Two medications — pirfenidone (Esbriet®) and nintedanib (OFEV®) —may slow down lung scarring. These medications can help preserve lung function.
Oxygen therapy: Giving your body extra oxygen helps you breathe more easily. It may also increase your energy and strength.
Pulmonary rehabilitation: Staying active in this special exercise program may improve how much (or how easily) you can do everyday tasks or activities.
Lung transplant: A lung transplant replaces one or both diseased lungs with a healthy lung (or lungs) from a donor. It offers the potential to improve your health and quality of life. A lung transplant is major surgery, and not everyone is a candidate. Ask your provider if you may be eligible for a lung transplant.
Frequently Asked Question on Lung Fibrosis
There is no cure for pulmonary fibrosis. Current treatments are aimed at preventing more lung scarring, relieving symptoms and helping you stay active and healthy. Your doctor may recommend medication, oxygen therapy, pulmonary rehabilitation, a lung transplant and/or lifestyle changes
A diagnosis of PF can be very scary. When you do your research, you may see average survival is between three to five years. This number is an average. There are patients who live less than three years after diagnosis, and others who live much longer.
These include nintedanib (Ofev®) and pirfenidone (Esbriet®). These medications are called anti-fibrotic agents, meaning that they have shown in clinical trials to slow down the rate of fibrosis or scarring in the lungs.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive disease of pulmonary scarring. New treatments slow disease progression and allow pulmonary fibrosis patients to live longer. Persistent pulmonary fibrosis increases a patient’s risk of developing lung cancer.
The early symptoms of IPF can sometimes include fatigue, shortness of breath, and a distinctive, dry cough, but some people do not experience symptoms at all in this first phase.