Pulmonary Fibrosis – What is it, Causes and Treatments!

Pulmonary Fibrosis – What it is, Causes and Treatments  we should all know. Furthermore,  Pulmonary Fibrosis  is a lung disease that occurs when lung tissue becomes damaged and scarred. This thickened, hard tissue makes it harder for your lungs to work properly. As Pulmonary Fibrosis worsens, you become increasingly out of breath.

Scarring associated with Pulmonary Fibrosis can be caused by a number of factors. But in most cases, doctors cannot pinpoint what is causing the problem. When a cause cannot be found, the condition is called Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis .

The lung damage caused by  Pulmonary Fibrosis cannot be repaired, but medications and therapies can sometimes help relieve symptoms and improve quality of life. For some people, a lung transplant may be appropriate. So, check out now  Pulmonary Fibrosis – What it is, Causes and Treatments:

Main Causes:  Pulmonary Fibrosis scars and thickens the tissue around and between the air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs . This makes it harder to get oxygen into your bloodstream. The damage can be caused by many different factors – including long-term exposure to certain toxins, certain medical conditions, radiation therapy and some medications.

Occupational and Environmental Factors:  Prolonged exposure to various toxins and pollutants can damage your lungs . These include:

• silica dust
• asbestos fibers
• hard metal forms
• coal dust
• grain dust
• Bird and animal injuries

The Main Symptoms:  The signs and symptoms of Pulmonary Fibrosis can include:

• Shortness of breath (dyspnea)
• Dry cough
• Fatigue
• unexplained weight loss
• Muscle and joint pain
• Enlargement and rounding of the tips of the fingers or toes (disco)

The course of Pulmonary Fibrosis – and the severity of symptoms – can vary considerably from person to person. Some people get sick very quickly with serious illness. Others have mild symptoms that get worse more slowly, over months or years.

Some people may experience a rapid worsening of their symptoms (acute exacerbation), such as severe shortness of breath, which can last several days to weeks. People who have acute exacerbations may be placed on a mechanical ventilator. Doctors may also prescribe antibiotics , corticosteroid medications, or other medications to treat an acute exacerbation that will also help with Pulmonary Fibrosis .

Radiation Treatments:  Some people who receive radiation therapy for lung or breast cancer show signs of Pulmonary Fibrosis  pain 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 was also used.
• The presence of underlying Pulmonary Fibrosis  disease .

Medications:  Many drugs can damage your lungs , especially medications like:

• Chemotherapy. Drugs meant to kill cancer cells, such as methotrexate (Extremal, Potrear, others) and cyclophosphamide, can also damage lung fibrosis tissue .
• Heart medications. Some drugs used to treat irregular heartbeats, such as amiodarone (Corda-rone, Heteronexo, Paracone), can harm lung fibrosis tissue .
• Some antibiotics. Antibiotics such as nitrofurantoin  (Macrobioto, Macrodontia, others) or ethambutol can cause lung damage.
• Anti-inflammatory drugs. Certain anti-inflammatory drugs like rituximab (Xanturia) or sulfasimazine (Azulfidine) can cause lung damage .

Medical Conditions:  Lung damagecan also result from a number of conditions, including:

• Dermatomyositis .
• Polimiosite.
• Mixed connective tissue disease.
• Systemic lupus erythematosus.
• Rheumatoid arthritis.
• Sarcoidosis.
• Scleroderma.
• Pneumonia.

Many substances and conditions can lead to Pulmonary Fibrosis . Even so, in most cases, the cause is never found. Pulmonary fibrosis with no known cause is called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.