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IPF Treatments

What is CLD?

CLD stands for Chronic Lung Disease. Chronic simply means something that lasts a long time, constantly returns or is never ending

What is ILD?

ILD stands for Interstitial Lung Disease. This is any disease that attacks the interstitium or lining of the lung and generally affecting the exchange of gases to and from the blood supply by impairing or destroying the alveoli. These are the tiny sacs that transfer gases.

What is Interstitial Pulmonary Fibrosis?

Interstitial Pulmonary Fibrosis sometimes referred to as Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, is not a disease but rather the result of a disease. It is a term used to indicate that the interstitium of the lung has suffered irreparable damage in the form of fibrosing or hardening of the tissue. This hardening or fibrosis is often described as honeycombing as it resembles that type of pattern when viewed through a microscope.

What is interstitial pneumonitus? Interstitial pneumonitus is one of over 130 different types of Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD). A disease which by majority strikes the middle aged (40-60 yrs old) male and female equally. It is most often described as idiopathic; however the "I" in ILD or IPF may indicate either idiopathic or interstitial. Idiopathic means unknown, Interstitial is a lining around the lung which in this disease becomes inflamed and without treatment leads to Fibrosing.

The most common symptoms are shortness of breath when exercising and a non-productive cough. Some experience fever, weight loss, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, as well as abnormal chest noises depending on the cause of their particular infection. During the later stages of the progression of the disease clubbing or rounding of the fingers and toes is common with still more abnormal noises. Still later the stress imposed on the other body organs often result in failure or diminutive efficiency of such things as the heart. Make no mistake about it, this is a very serious disease. It is a terminal disease with no known cure. Life expectancy from time of diagnosis is usually accepted by the medical community as an average of 2 to 10 years depending on which type of ILD you have. The disease is also unpredictable. Quite often it will appear stable for as many as 2 years or more. It may progress rapidly, then without explanation slow or cease to progress. You are sitting on a bomb whose timing mechanism is faulty and unpredictable. The only thing that is a surety is that it will eventually go off. How Does this happen?

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