Living With Lung Fibrosis: Knowledge is Power

Abstract

Lung fibrosis is a serious disease that takes a toll on patients and caregivers. The course of lung fibrosis is variable, but most patients experience breathlessness and fatigue and many are troubled by cough. In addition, the medications used to slow the worsening of lung fibrosis may cause side effects. The better that patients understand lung fibrosis, the more able they will be to manage its impact on their lives. Support is available to help patients manage the symptoms of their disease and the side effects of medications. In this article, we use our experiences as a patient with lung fibrosis, a wife and caregiver of a patient with lung fibrosis, and a clinician who cares for patients with lung fibrosis to provide information for patients on the diagnosis, course, and treatment of this disease.

Keywords::

• caregivers
• cough
• dyspnea
• interstitial
• lung disease
• patients
• pulmonary fibrosis
• pulmonary function tests

Author contributions

The authors meet criteria for authorship as recommended by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

Financial disclosure

The authors did not receive any payment for their work on this article. The authors have no financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Competing interests disclosure

The authors have no competing interests or relevant affiliations with any organization or entity with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Writing disclosure

Editorial support was provided by Wendy Morris of FleishmanHillard, London, UK, which was contracted and funded by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Boehringer Ingelheim was given the opportunity to review the article for medical and scientific accuracy as well as intellectual property considerations.