Pulmonary Fibrosis: Causes and Treatment

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Causes of Pulmonary Fibrosis
Current Research on Pulmonary Fibrosis
Signs and Symptoms of Fibrosis
Treatment and Symptom Relief for Pulmonary Fibrosis
Diagnosis of Pulmonary Fibrosis
Current Statistics Data of the Disease
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

Pulmonary fibrosis entails a group of lung diseases that affects the patient’s respiratory system. It is a condition that causes scarring and thickening of the lung tissues. Over time, the scar tissues block oxygen flow from the tiny air sacs in the lungs from which it reaches the bloodstream (Medlin Plus). The disease is associated with low levels of oxygen. When exercising or walking, individuals with low oxygen levels may experience pulmonary fibrosis. This paper, therefore, seeks to analyze the disease by examining the causes, current research, symptoms, treatment, symptom relief, tests for diagnosis, and the current statistical data on the condition.

Causes of Pulmonary Fibrosis

Pulmonary fibrosis has numerous factors that contribute to its course. These factors include environmental pollutants such as metal dust, grain dust, silica, asbestos, coal, and animal proteins (Mayo Clinic). Specific medications, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy for lung and breast cancer, heart medications, chronic and anti-inflammatory processes, are also associated with the disease cause. Similarly, medical conditions of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus have correspondingly been linked with the direct cause of the disease.

Current Research on Pulmonary Fibrosis

Currently, physicians are relentlessly conducting various clinical trials in different classes of fibrosis, including pulmonary fibrosis. They have made these joint efforts in order to come up with possible treatments for the disease. Doctors in San Francisco, for example, are evaluating the efficacy and safety of recombinant human pentraxin-2 in people with pulmonary fibrosis (University of California). These studies aim to produce an effective research-based evidence solution to fibrotic diseases.

Signs and Symptoms of Fibrosis

The signs and symptoms associated with pulmonary fibrosis include shortness of breath, which occurs at the early stages of the disease. Under this condition, patients often feel unusual oxygen deficit, especially during physical activities (Mayo Clinic). Other symptoms include dry unexplained chronic coughs, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, muscle, and joint pains, Chest discomfort, loss of appetite, and clubbing of the fingers and toes.

Treatment and Symptom Relief for Pulmonary Fibrosis

Currently, pulmonary fibrosis has no cure; because once the scarring occurs in the lungs, it cannot be reversed. The permanent effect makes treatment the only option to manage the disease, which is also limited. These treatments include non-pharmacological solutions such as lung transplant, oxygen therapy, and pulmonary rehabilitation (Glass et al. 87). Similarly, pharmacological medications are also used to relief symptoms and treat pulmonary fibrosis. They include the use of drugs like nintedanib and pirfenidone, and anti-inflammatory prescription of colchicine.

Diagnosis of Pulmonary Fibrosis

The diagnosis of the disease may take various forms and tests based on the signs and symptoms of the disease. In most cases, depending on the symptoms shown in patients, doctors often employ various tests to obtain the accurate and necessary information that is crucial for the effective diagnosis of the disease. These tests include:

Imaging Tests. The imaging tests are done using three different methods, including a chest x-ray, which shows the images of the patient’s chest. Lee et al. (402) states that, physicians must perform a chest x-ray to see the scar tissue typical of pulmonary fibrosis when patients show symptoms of shortness of breath and recurrent coughs. This is critical for tracking the treatment and progression of the illness. However, in cases where the x-ray result is regular, physicians may do further tests to explain the patient’s disease. Another imaging test is the Computerized tomography scan. In this diagnosis test, doctors use a computer to syndicate numerous x-ray images collected from various angles to create cross-sectional views of internal body components (Mayo Clinic). This aids in determining the severity of the diseases’ lung damage. Subsequently, an echocardiogram test is the last imaging trial used by doctors to diagnose fibrosis. Under this diagnosis, physicians use sound waves to visualize the heart (Mayo Clinic). It aids doctors in monitoring a patient’s cardiac functioning by determining the amount of pressure that occurs on the right side of the heart.
Lung function test. The lung function tests include pulmonary functioning testing, which involves spirometry. A machine is used to determine how much air a patient’s lung can contain and how quickly the patient can transfer air in and out of the lungs. To achieve this, the patient is forced to exhale quickly and violently using a tube linked to a machine (Lee et al. 403). Another type of lung function test is the exercise stress test, which involves the patient exercising on a treadmill while being monitored for lung function. The arterial blood gas test, which analyses blood samples to assess oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, is another test under lung function. Pulse oximetry is a method of measuring blood oxygen saturation to track the progression of an illness.
Tissue Sample Test. When imaging techniques fail to diagnose pulmonary fibrosis, clinicians may remove a sample of lung tissue to rule out other disorders or for diagnosis of fibrosis. According to (Mayo Clinic), doctors may employ various methods such as bronchoscopy and surgical biopsy to obtain the tissue samples for the diagnosis.
Blood Tests. The doctors can also perform a blood test to evaluate the liver and kidney function of the patient. These tests use a two-dimensional approach to assess lung function and measure the amounts of oxygen circulating in the patient’s bloodstream. For instance, Pulse oximetry measures the amount of protein hemoglobin in the red cells. Usually, a healthy individual has 90% oxygen-bound hemoglobin with only 10 % protein (Lee et al. 403). Any value below 90% oxygen saturation may indicate that the lungs have defects in transferring oxygen to the bloodstream, revealing the presence of fibrosis (Lee et al. 401). On the other hand, physicians use arterial blood gas tests to analyze amounts of carbon dioxide and other components of the patient’s blood. Abnormal results from this test may indicate the possibility of deficiency in the lungs, thereby indicating the presence of fibrosis.

Current Statistics Data of the Disease

The current statistics show that about 13 to 20 per 100,000 people worldwide are infected with pulmonary fibrosis. In the United States, more than 100,000 are infected with pulmonary fibrosis, with about 30,000 to 40,000 new cases per year (Medlin Plus). The statistics reveal that the disease is more prevalent in men than women. It also reports that older age is a common diagnosis factor for the disease, with most cases occurring between 60 and 70 years.

Conclusion

There is an urgent call for more attention and clinical research into developing and discovering feasible treatments that prolong and improve the quality of life for patients suffering from pulmonary fibrosis. Currently, there are only two anti-fibrotic drugs available for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis. Now only a lung transplant can alter the relentless course of the disease. Therefore the community and the clinical research team should join hands to find better ways of treating fibrotic diseases.

Works Cited

Glass, Daniel, et al. “Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: Current and future treatment.” The Clinical Respiratory Journal. 16 (2022): 84-96.

Lee, Jaemin, et al. “Safety and Diagnostic Yield of Radial Probe Endobronchial Ultrasound-Guided Biopsy for Peripheral Lung Lesions in Patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study.” Respiration 101.4 (2022): 401-407.

Mayo clinic: Pulmonary fibrosis. Mayo Clinic organization, 2018. Web.

Medlin Plus. “Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.” National Library of Medicine, 2020. Web.

University of California. “Fibrosis clinical trials: A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Recombinant Human Pentraxin-2 in Participants with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.” University of California San Francisco. (2022).

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