• health

• Routine in the shade of the corona

Dry cough and shortness of breath?

This is why you must go get tested

Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic and dangerous disease that progresses very quickly.

Therefore, it is important to diagnose it at an early stage, in order to start treatments.

How is the disease treated and what progress has been made in recent years?

All the details in the article

Tags

• cough

Prof. Gabriel Izbitsky, in collaboration with the Association for Patient Rights

Sunday, 23 May 2021, 10:50

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on general

• Share on general

• Share on Twitter

• Share on Email

0 comments

Not a simple disease that is important to be aware of.

Coughing woman (Photo: ShutterStock)

Pulmonary fibrosis, IPF or 'beautification' in Hebrew, is a disease in which damage to the connective tissue in the lungs triggers an inflammatory process that later develops into a scarring process.

Once the scar is irreversible and the tissue can no longer heal.

The cause of the development of the disease is unknown (the first letter in the name of the disease represents the word Idiopathic. An idiopathic disease is a disease whose origin is unknown).

It is assumed that there is a genetic factor that increases the risk of the disease and it is possible that exposure to various substances such as metals is a risk factor, but in most cases it is not known why it appeared, and in any case it is not a disease caused by smoking.

More on Walla!

"My Therapeutic Sequence": How do those suffering from a chronic illness cope with the corona routine?

To the full article

Pulmonary fibrosis is one of a group of interstitial diseases (ILDs), which, among other things, are characterized during an advanced disease and for a long time until diagnosis, and hence a poor prognosis at the time of diagnosis.

As with any disease, and especially with advanced chronic diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis, early diagnosis is very important, as this will allow the patient to be treated early, slow the disease progression and deterioration, and save the patient pain and suffering.

Pulmonary fibrosis is characterized by shortness of breath and dry cough, symptoms that can also appear in other diseases, and therefore the diagnosis is delayed.

Another reason for a late diagnosis is that sometimes the patient himself rejects the very meeting with the doctor whether because he does not notice the symptoms of the disease, which seem secondary to him or he places the blame on other factors, such as poor physical fitness.

How is pulmonary fibrosis diagnosed?

If the patient does go to the family doctor complaining about the symptoms of the disease, the doctor will perform a physical examination, and then send him for a chest x-ray and sometimes for other cardiac tests.

At this stage it is not always possible to speculate that it is a pulmonary fibrosis disease.

In a lung function test it will be possible to see a reduction in the volume of the lungs and a decrease in the diffusion force.

Sometimes the patient will be sent for a CT scan and a lung doctor.

In fact, the test that can diagnose the disease is a CT scan in thin sections, but if there is no suspicion of pulmonary fibrosis the patient may miss this important test.

In fact, the most appropriate procedure for diagnosing the disease is in a multidisciplinary session where radiologists and pulmonologists are present who come to a diagnosis and joint decision on the treatment plan.

How is pulmonary fibrosis treated?

For years there was no treatment for the disease except steroid treatment. After one of the important studies published found that not only is steroid treatment not helpful but even harmful, this treatment has also been discontinued. Several years ago, studies were first published on two drugs that have been found to slow the rate of disease progression, prevent flares of the disease, and there is even evidence that they may prolong a patient's life expectancy. These drugs are currently approved for use in Israel and are available through the drug basket. Although this is not a treatment that can cure the disease, it certainly alleviates and slows its development.

The past year has been a challenging year for pulmonary fibrosis patients, like other lung patients, many feared the coronary epidemic and avoided going to clinics.

In some patients it was possible to switch to remote treatment, but there were patients who remained unanswered.

Moreover, one of the 'side effects' of the closures was that patients who were afraid to leave their homes also performed less exercise, and thus symptoms that arise during exertion such as shortness of breath were not reported.

At the same time, when the symptom manifested was a cough, the main fear was that it was corona, and from the moment the result was negative the patients did not clearly continue the source of the cough, "the main thing is that it is not corona".

True, this is not corona, but pulmonary fibrosis is definitely not a simple disease that is important to be aware of.

This does not mean that you should see a doctor with the first cough, but when there is a persistent symptom, you should go to the family doctor and get tested.

The author is Prof. Gabriel Izbitsky, Director of the Institute of Lung Diseases, Shaare Zedek Medical Center

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on general

• Share on general

• Share on Twitter

• Share on Email

0 comments