Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis All you need to know

Changing lifestyles, which move towards unhealthy habits, bring unknown health horrors. A new rare disease, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is on the rise across the country and Hyderabad is not far behind in giving its share to the statistics; over 25 per cent increase in IPF cases has been seen in the past 10 years.

In this regard, an awareness session was organised at Green Park Hotel in Ameerpet on Wednesday in which Dr Pradyut Waghray, Chief of Pulmonology at the Kunal Institute of Medical Specialities Pvt Ltd addressed the issue. The aim was to increase awareness of growing IPF cases, its distinct symptoms, and to throw light on importance of early diagnosis.

“Over 60 per cent of the cases are diagnosed late in the city. That is an alarming cause of concern,” said the doctor. A chronic and ultimately fatal illness, IPF is a type of lung disease that results in damage and scarring of the lungs.

The thickened and stiff scarring becomes worse over time, making it hard to breathe. As the disease progresses, day-to-day activities are hampered, as it is difficult to function due to deprivation of oxygen to the body. The disease has considerable physical and psychological effects on patients, as well as their families.

Highlighting the causes of the disease, Dr Waghray said, “The cases of IPF are more in older people, as it is known to usually affect middle-aged and older adults between 40 to 70 years.”“The cause is yet to be discovered as of now,” warned the doctor. “However, it has been suggested that genetics and diabetes might play a role,” he said.

He talked about smoking being one of the main causes, and with the increasing amount of college students smoking ‘hookah’ as a new trend, the chances of acquiring the disease in their old age increases. “Most doctors, due to similar symptoms, commonly mistake the disease for tuberculosis,” cautioned Dr Waghray.

Elaborating on their differences, he said, “Tuberculosis is transmitted by coughing, and is infective, while IPF is non-infective. TB is transferred by bacteria, while IPF is an auto-immune disease. TB is associated with weight loss, and evening rise of temperature. Coming in contact is required for the spread of the disease. For IPF, on the other hand, no contact with other patient is necessary for spreading it.”

As on how the disease is diagnosed, an HRCT test, or High-resolution computed tomography scan is used after detection. A few signs and symptoms to watch out for include rapid and shallow breathing, chronic cough, loss of appetite, chest pain, ‘clubbing’ of fingers and aching muscles and joints.

Commenting on the challenges for the disease, Dr Waghray said, “The current available treatments can only reduce the progression of the disease, as there is no procedure available as of yet to remove scarring from lungs. The treatments may not necessarily be able to reduce the symptoms associated with the disease.”

“It is necessary that all patients with respiratory diseases be checked for IPF to ensure maximum number of cases reported and diagnosed early,” he cautioned. “The average survival time of the IPF patients is about three to five years after the diagnosis. Early diagnosis is of extreme importance, as it will help reduce the effects of the symptoms, progression of the disease and possibly the life span of the individual,” he said.

“One of the few ways to prevent the disease is to stop smoking, as it makes you highly vulnerable. Another way would be to avoid the disease ‘GERD’ or gastroesophageal reflux disease, as contracting ot makes you more prone to develop IPF. Avoiding pollution, especially the industrial kind,” he concluded.

By Devanshi Maloo