Pulmonary fibrosis

Pulmonary fibrosis is a irreversible and progressive disease in which the air sacs of the lungs become stiff and hard to fill, making breathing increasingly more difficult. It is a member of the class of interstitial lung diseases (ILD). A number of forms of the disease come from industrial exposure to coal dust or sand blasting; other cases are due to drug reactions, and sometimes the cause is never known (i.e., idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis). It may be secondary to other diseases such as scleroderma or rheumatoid arthritis.

Treatment

There is no approved treatment, although there are many supportive measures, and pulmonary fibrosis is the most common indication for lung transplantation.