Stages of Pulmonary Fibrosis

What are the stages of Pulmonary Fibrosis?

[David Tinkelman, M.D.]

Here are the commonly accepted stages of Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Onset: A person who is developing IPF will first begin to notice a shortness of breath, a general fatigue, and often a dry, hacking cough which cannot be controlled.

Progressive: As a patient with undiagnosed IPF continues their daily activities, the lack of oxygen circulation begins to become more and more obvious, and the patient will find themselves out of breath during even the most routine activities. Other symptoms often begin to surface as well, such as aching muscles or joints, unexpected weight loss, and a general fatigue.

End Stage: As the disease progresses, it can cause problems beyond shortness of breath. These can include high blood pressure in the lungs (pulmonary hypertension) caused by compression of blood vessels by scar tissue, or right sided heart failure, due to the heart having to pump harder to circulate blood through the lungs.7 Any of these things can lead to the cause of death. Patients with IPF can die from heart failure, respiratory failure, or collapsed lungs.

[Donnalp6881]

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[Donnalp6881]

Thank you for the info.  I was wondering what to expect.