Blog 6 Respiratory Disease

Respiratory Disease: Pulmonary Fibrosis

       Pulmonary fibrosis is a lung disease. The tissue in the lungs becomes damaged or scarred. The lung tissue becomes thickened and causes problems in the lungs because they will not work properly. Pulmonary fibrosis will worsen without treatment, and you will become progressively more short of breath. The damage to the lungs, scarring and thickening, cannot be repaired, but their are medications and therapies to treat it. Some symptoms of are: dyspnea, dry cough, fatigue, unexplained weight loss, aching muscles and joints, and clubbing of the tips of fingers or toes. Pulmonary fibrosis makes it difficult for oxygen to enter your bloodstream and is caused by exposure to the environment. Silica dust, asbestos fibers, hard metal dusts, coal dust, grain dust, and bird and animal droppings can cause pulmonary fibrosis. Some complications that are caused by pulmonary fibrosis are, high blood pressure, right-sided heart failure, respiratory failure, lung cancer, and blood clots, collapsed lungs or lung infections.