Pulmonary fibrosis is a disease that causes scar tissue to form in your lungs, which prevents your body from getting enough oxygen. In most cases, doctors can't identify the specific cause of the disease. There are some factors that can increase your risk, though. Smoking, being exposed to pollution, and having acid reflux disease all increase your chances of developing pulmonary fibrosis. Some medications and infections may cause the disease, too. The disease is more common in middle-aged and elderly people than in younger people, and it affects men more frequently than women. There may also be a genetic component.To diagnose the disease, doctors perform imaging tests and lung function tests, and they sometimes take a lung tissue sample. Unfortunately, there isn't a cure for pulmonary fibrosis. Oxygen therapy and medications can help you breathe and can ease some of the symptoms, but the damage to your lungs is irreversible. The outlook is different for everyone, and while some people rapidly deteriorate within a few months, others live for more than 10 years after being diagnosed. The disease can cause a variety of different symptoms, so identifying and treating it as early as possible is essential. Here are eight signs and symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis:
