Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis - treatment and recommendations

Today, people often suffer from some kind of lung disease. This is due to poor environmental conditions, addictions, work in hazardous industries, heredity, stress.

Some of the diseases are easily treatable - for this it is enough to change the lifestyle and undergo a course of therapy. But there are those in which full recovery is difficult. The latter include pulmonary fibrosis. In this article we will consider the symptoms of this disease, as well as the main recommendations of doctors.

What is this disease?

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (ICD 10), also called idiopathic fibrosing alveolitis, is a disease most commonly seen in men after 50 years of age. The main reason for its occurrence is considered to be smoking, especially if a person has this bad habit for more than twenty years. But also those who have breathed pesticides for a long time are also prone to fibrosis. Organic and inorganic dust (flour, fertilizers) can also be the cause of the disease. The factor of hereditary predisposition is not excluded.

Another interesting fact is that pulmonary fibrosis can be triggered by normal heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux, that is, by throwing gastric juice into the esophagus. Acid from the pharynx can enter the trachea, causing the development of pathology.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is as common as tuberculosis. At its core, this is a specific form of pneumonia, moreover, chronic. The lungs are affected mainly in the elderly, while the etiology of the disease is unknown.

Symptoms

As such, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis does not have symptoms. It does not provoke subfebrile condition or myalgia. But when listening to the lungs, wheezing on inspiration, similar to crackling cellophane, is detected. In addition, a person can suffer from shortness of breath for a long time, and it manifests itself during physical exertion and progresses over time. Also, the presence of dry cough is a common symptom, but cough may be with sputum production. The appearance of the nail plates changes. In the later stages, edema occurs, which refers to the signs of a chronic pulmonary heart.

Diagnostic Methods

How to identify idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis? To determine the presence of the disease, you need to contact a pulmonologist. He will assign the following types of analyzes:

1. General blood analysis. Since there is no special analysis for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, the doctor will prescribe a general analysis. This is necessary to exclude other diseases that are accompanied by the same symptoms.
2. Conducting respiratory and functional tests. They are required in order for pulmonary fibrosis to differentiate from emphysema or another disease.
3. Surgical biopsy of the lung. It is carried out in case of suspected oncology.
4. Conducting computed tomography. Fibrous changes in the lungs will necessarily appear on the images.

Forecast

Unfortunately, the prognosis for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is disappointing. The average life expectancy of patients with this diagnosis is three years. And then, this happens subject to all the recommendations of doctors and supportive measures. We will talk about them below.

This disease is not completely cured. Gradually, an inevitable deterioration will ensue. This, in fact, is dangerous idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Recommendations must be implemented without fail. Keep in mind:

• To make the symptoms less pronounced, you must stop smoking urgently and without fail.
• Any infection, thromboembolism, heart failure, pneumothorax can lead to an exacerbation of the disease.
• Pulmonary fibrosis often goes into oncology. A fatal outcome occurs with respiratory failure, respiratory infection, heart failure, in case of myocardial ischemia and cardiac arrhythmias.

Treatment

As already mentioned, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is not treated. Only supportive therapy is possible. As therapeutic measures used:

1. Oxygen therapy. It effectively reduces the manifestation of shortness of breath. Patients breathe with oxygen concentrators. To do this, it is not necessary to visit a medical institution. The necessary devices are commercially available in pharmacies. This method relates to maintenance therapy.
2. Lung rehabilitation. Patients are advised to study and put into practice special breathing techniques that facilitate breathing.
3. Corticosteroids and cytostatics. Assigned as essential medicines. In addition, antibacterial drugs are used if the patient has developed pneumonia.
4. If the patient is under the age of 50, he is shown lung transplantation.

As you can see, with a diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, the treatment should be comprehensive.

It is important to note that some patients do not tolerate corticosteroid and cytostatic therapy very well. Sometimes this causes the following side effects:

• peptic ulcer of the stomach;
• cataract
• high intraocular pressure;
• arterial hypertension;
• obesity;
• hormonal imbalance;
• malfunctioning of the adrenal glands.

Each case is individual, so only the doctor should select the most optimal treatment that can stop idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.