HealthInfo Waitaha Canterbury

Lung fibrosis (pulmonary fibrosis)

Lung fibrosis, also called pulmonary fibrosis, is a condition in which hard scar tissue forms in your lungs, making it hard to breathe. The scar tissue forms around the air sacs, or alveoli, in your lungs making your lungs stiff. People with lung fibrosis often have a dry cough.

Lung fibrosis may be caused by breathing in substances such as grain dust, mined silica (sand is not harmful), asbestos or bird droppings. Other causes include radiation treatment, certain medicines (such as nitrofurantoin and amiodarone) and other conditions such as sarcoidosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Often there is no obvious cause (this is called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis).

People who have worked in farming, mining or construction are particularly at risk, as are smokers.

Diagnosing lung fibrosis

If you're worried that you might have lung fibrosis, speak to your doctor. They will examine you and may order tests such as a chest X-ray, spirometry (which tests how well your lungs are working) and blood tests. You may need to see a specialist at the hospital who may arrange for you to have a CT scan or bronchoscopy.

Treating lung fibrosis

Your treatment will depend on what has caused your lung fibrosis. If it has been caused by something you've breathed in, such as bird droppings, it's important to stop this happening any more. If the cause is related to your workplace, your doctor may need to involve ACC and WorkSafe New Zealand.

In some cases, there are treatments that may slow down its progress or ease your symptoms. These include oral steroids (prednisone) and medicines that suppress your immune system (also called immunosuppressants).

Unfortunately, for many people the condition gets worse and cannot be reversed.

Self-care for lung fibrosis

If you've been diagnosed with lung fibrosis, it's important not to smoke, to eat well and to get a flu vaccination every year.

You should also keep up to date with COVID-19 booster vaccinations.

If you're breathless, ask your doctor to refer you to the Canterbury Better Breathing Programme.

  HealthInfo recommends the following pages

• CanBreathe

  CanBreathe helps people with respiratory conditions by offering education, information, resources and support.

• Mayo Clinic – Pulmonary fibrosis

  Information about the symptoms, causes, and risk factors for lung fibrosis, as well as treatment and lifestyle measures for people living with the condition.

Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed June 2021.

Sources

Page reference: 289286

Review key: HILUF-289286