How Can My Doctor Tell if It's Pulmonary Fibrosis?

Your doctor first evaluates your lungs to diagnose your condition. They will take your medical history, do a physical exam and other tests to be done. Once a diagnosis has been made, a treatment plan will be developed to control your symptoms and help you feel better. You will be monitored on your treatment plan and changes will be made as needed.

Early diagnosis is the key to successful treatment. Several ways for doctors to diagnose cases of pulmonary fibrosis include:

Patient history: taken to identify any risk factors such as environmental and occupational factors, hobbies, legal and illegal drug use, arthritis, and immune system diseases. Patient histories are the most important tools in diagnosis.

Physical exam: using diagnostic tests such as chest x-rays, computed tomography (CT), resting and exercising pulmonary function tests, and blood tests to detect oxygen levels. These tests help rule out other possible lung diseases.

Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL): used to identify any inflammatory processed in lung tissue and to rule out infections and malignancies (cancer) as a cause of the symptoms. This procedure involves the removal and examination of cells and proteins through lung washings from the lower respiratory tract.

Bronchoscopy: examination of the air passages of the lung for accuracy in diagnosis. This is done by placing a flexible tube with a light and an optical lens through the nose or mouth into the trachea and bronchi.

Lung Biopsy: a surgical procedure that removes a sample of lung tissue to establish a diagnosis. This will allow for a measurement of how much inflammation and fibrosis is present and how far the disease has advanced.

Can Pulmonary Fibrosis be Treated?

There is currently no cure for pulmonary fibrosis. It should be diagnosed when it is still at an early stage so that further tissue damage can be prevented. The aim of treatment is to reduce inflammation and prevent further scarring.

Corticosteroids: medications used to treat acute tissue inflammation. The success of using these drugs in combination when a patient is first diagnosed is still being researched.

Immunosuppressants: drugs used to suppress the immune system. Has shown some success in stopping the growth of the disease in some patients who only respond to unacceptably high doses of corticosteroids.

Penacillamine: has helped a few patients who have not responded to other therapies. This drug is still being tested for effectiveness.

Oxygen therapy: may be needed for patients with very low blood oxygen and who have progressive pulmonary fibrosis. The need for oxygen therapy is decided by your doctor and depends on how severe your condition is and on your activity level.

Regular exercise: increases muscle strength and breathing ability, and improves overall strength.

Flu and pneumonia vaccine: recommended for patients who have any lung diseases in order to prevent infection.

Lung transplant: may be recommended for some people who don't respond to any other treatments.

Rehab, education programs and support groups: are recommended to improve activity levels. These programs often include educational sessions, information as well as emotional support for patients, family and friends.