In the past 6 months I've had 2 high school classmates pass away both age 65 , one male, one female and a close friend , male age 77 who passed away just this week. I've read up a little on this and really can't find any defining causes other than being exposed to asbestos , coal dust , pneumonia and a couple of other things. The 2 mails passed away very quickly after getting it and the female lived about 10 months or so but when she went quickly once she was hospitalized. Before these friends I really had never heard of much less knowing someone who had it and of course I realize that I knew people who did pass away with it but I just didn't know it was the reason of their deaths. Do any of you know much or anything at all about it? OFC
OT: Pulmonary Fibrosis
- Thread starter skysdad
- Start date
Sorry to read of your friends dealing with this issue. It's interesting because there are more unknown causes or "idiopathic" causes than there are known causes. Even the known causes can have direct links (automimmune disorders, environmental causes, etc) while some are considered genetic (mutation commonly in SP-C). Treatments aren't very effective, and they're typically targeted at combatting inflammation and suppressing the immune system (corticosteroids do both and are commonly prescribed although long-term use in both can cause their own unpleasant symptoms).....
My dad has it. He got a lung transplant over two years ago (single lung) but his bad lung still has it. But he is going on 3 years post surgery and is still here (he is 74). They dont know what caused it, but he was a fire fighter for a number of years so it could have been that. He was on the transplant list for a year or so and they said he would have to wait another 6 months. Then that night, after getting home from the doctor, they called and said a lung came available. We are blessed to have him around. He was diagnosed with it a few years before it got really bad. But transplants are no piece of cake. The medicine (anti rejection) takes its toll too. It causes cancer, kidney issues, etc. Not the mention the financial toll the meds take. But like I said, he is still here and cheering on Duke with me.
Great news. Glad your dad is still around. Tell your dad from one firefighter to another I’ll definitely be praying for him.
Sky i'm sorry to hear of your classmates passing. Pulmonary Fibrosis is a disease I know very about little about but I did copy the following from the web
"According to the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis, more than 128,000 Americans suffer from IPF, with 40,000 dying from the disease each year.
The disease starts with shortness of breath or a dry, hacking cough, but soon robs the person's body of the oxygen needed to move about or properly function, according to the U.S National Institutes of Health. Doctors don't know what causes IPF, although they suspect that smoking, genetics, certain viral infections or acid reflux could play a role in damaging the lungs, the NIH said."
"According to the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis, more than 128,000 Americans suffer from IPF, with 40,000 dying from the disease each year.
The disease starts with shortness of breath or a dry, hacking cough, but soon robs the person's body of the oxygen needed to move about or properly function, according to the U.S National Institutes of Health. Doctors don't know what causes IPF, although they suspect that smoking, genetics, certain viral infections or acid reflux could play a role in damaging the lungs, the NIH said."
Sorry for your loss, Sky.
There are so many horrible diseases, and many of them with not much hope of a successful treatment. The worse part of getting old is watching family, and friends suffer, then pass away. It's the cycle of life...but it still sucks.
OFC