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Q.

What are pulmonary fibrosis symptoms?

Related Topics: Pulmonary Fibrosis
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A.

Symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis include:

  • shortness of breath
  • coughing
  • diminished exercise tolerance

Symptoms vary depending on the cause of the pulmonary fibrosis. The severity of symptoms and the progression (worsening) of symptoms over time can vary.

The most common cause, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, unfortunately often has slow and relentless progression. Early on, patients often complain of a dry unexplained cough. Often, slow and insidious onset of shortness of breath can set in. With time, dyspnea (shortness of breath) worsens. Primarily, dyspnea initially occurs only with activity and is often attributed to aging. With time, the dyspnea begins to occur with less and less activity. Eventually, the shortness of breath becomes disabling, limiting all activity and even occurring while sitting still. In rarer cases, the fibrosis can be rapidly progressive, with dyspnea and disability occurring in weeks to months of onset of the disease. This form of pulmonary fibrosis has been referred to as Hamman-Rich syndrome.

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