Pulmonary Fibrosis

Prognosis 06/06/2009

Question:

I just found out i have pulmonary fibrosis my lungs are already small my heart is enlarged i have a very hard time breathing walking 3 house length what do you think my prognosis is.Thank you Ihave to know its driving me crazy inside.please

Answer:

The first step is to find out what kind of pulmonary fibrosis you have. There are many types of lung disease that are lumped together into "pulmonary fibrosis". 

One of the more common types is "idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis" (IPF) which refers to pulmonary fibrosis without any other identifiable cause. Many times, a confident diagnosis can be made based on the history, physical examination, and high resolution chest CT scan, but sometimes a lung biopsy is required in order to determine if a patient has IPF or some other type of pulmonary fibrosis. IPF is a serious disease that usually gets steadily worse over 3-5 years; other types of pulmonary fibrosis are less serious and can have a better prognosis. 

Regardless of the type of pulmonary fibrosis that you have, there are things that can help including supplemental oxygen, a handicap placard for your car, and pulmonary rehabilitation.

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Response by:

James N Allen, Jr, MD Clinical Professor of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine College of Medicine The Ohio State University