A new hope for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

GM Hunninghake - New England Journal of Medicine, 2014 - Mass Medical Soc
New England Journal of Medicine, 2014Mass Medical Soc
I suspect that many of my patients have picked up on more than a hint of frustration in my
voice when I tell them that the cause of their shortness of breath is idiopathic pulmonary
fibrosis. This frustration stems from the fact that beyond providing information about
prognosis or referral for lung transplantation or palliation, there has been little to offer in the
way of treatment. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic, progressive disorder of lung
scarring that predominantly affects older patients and has a death rate worse than that of …
I suspect that many of my patients have picked up on more than a hint of frustration in my voice when I tell them that the cause of their shortness of breath is idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. This frustration stems from the fact that beyond providing information about prognosis or referral for lung transplantation or palliation, there has been little to offer in the way of treatment. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic, progressive disorder of lung scarring that predominantly affects older patients and has a death rate worse than that of many cancers (3-year survival, 50%).1 However, in contrast to . . .
The New England Journal Of Medicine