Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a condition in which the lungs become scarred and breathing becomes increasingly difficult.

It’s not clear what causes it, but it usually affects people around 70-75 years of age and is rare in people under 50.

Several treatments can help reduce the rate at which IPF gets worse, but there’s currently no treatment that can stop or reverse the scarring of the lungs.

Symptoms

The symptoms of IPF tend to develop gradually and get slowly worse over time.

Symptoms can include:

shortness of breath a persistent dry cough tiredness loss of appetite and weight loss rounded and swollen fingertips (clubbed fingers)

Many people ignore their breathlessness at first and blame it on getting old or being out of shape. But eventually even light activity such as getting dressed can cause shortness of breath.


The most common symptom of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is shortness of breath, often when physically active, which can get worse over time.

At first, many people ignore their breathlessness (especially older patients) and blame it on getting old or being out of shape. But as the disease progresses and lung damage becomes more severe, even light activity like getting dressed or having a shower can cause breathlessness.

Other symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis include:

a persistent dry cough tiredness loss of appetite and weight loss

In up to half of all cases, there is also a change in the shape of the finger and toenails. This thickening of tissue at the base of the finger and toenails is known as digital clubbing. The exact cause of clubbing is unknown, but it can occur in people with various chest and heart diseases.