What is IPF?
Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic disease characterized by the abnormal formation of fibre-like scar tissue in the lungs. The “I” in IPF stands for Idiopathic which is a fancy doctor way of saying “we have no clue why this is happening”. Because they don’t know what causes it, they have no way of treating it. As the disease progresses, the lung tissues become stiff and their ability to transfer oxygen to the blood steadily diminishes. At some point the sufferer will require supplemental oxygen to maintain acceptable oxygen levels and eventually the lungs will cease to function altogether. The only effective treatment is a lung transplant.
For more information on IPF visit the Canadian Lung Association web site.