Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF for short, is a condition that affects tissues deep inside the lungs. It is a progressive disease that causes the air sacs in the lungs to become inflamed and scarred. The most common symptoms are shortness of breath and a dry, hacking cough that does not go away. About 50,000 Americans each year are diagnosed with this condition. Most people diagnosed with IPF are between the ages of 40 and 70, although this disease can occur in people from infancy to old age.
(Click Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis for more information about who this condition affects, what symptoms may develop as the condition worsens, and what research is currently being done.)
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