When I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) three years ago, I had never heard of the disease. I was told that it was rare. Even rarer, my doctors said, was my diagnosis at 28. They had considered IPF when first looking for answers for my breathlessness,…
People with pulmonary fibrosis living in the Mercer and Bucks County regions of New Jersey and Pennsylvania now have access to a new pulmonary rehabilitation program. The program, launched by Capital Health in December, will be located at the Wellness Center at Capital Health Medical Center –…
I try to practice gratitude every day. The word “practice” is appropriate. Viewing daily trials through a lens of gratitude did not come to me by instinct or inheritance. I started doing it several years ago to try and force myself out of a funk. Writing down something that I…
A novel lab model replicates the main steps leading to progressive fibrosis, and can be used to assess the properties of therapeutic candidates, a study has found. The study, “Modeling Progressive Fibrosis with Pluripotent Stem Cells Identifies an Anti-fibrotic Small Molecule,” was published in the journal…
The world is a different place than it was a decade ago, especially in the realm of technology and social media. Smart devices track daily tasks, remind users to complete to-do lists, help with budgeting, and navigate driving routes. There are a number of ways technology can help patients…
Men with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) have poorer lung function and a higher frequency of heart-related diseases (comorbidities) than women with IPF, according to a Swedish study. The data, which showed no differences between the sexes in terms of quality of life, suggest that additional research is required to…
The Canadian Registry for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CARE-PF) enrolled in its first 18 months more than 1,200 people with interstitial lung disease (ILD), with more than half having either idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) or connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease (CTD-ILD). Data collected through the CARE-PF registry could be useful…
I am slowly emerging following several weeks of hospital visits and confinement to bed. I’ve been extremely weak and unable to eat thanks to bacterial pneumonia and the influenza virus. Either of these illnesses alone is enough to kill a patient living with a chronic lung disease such as idiopathic…
Algernon Pharmaceuticals‘s NP-120 (ifenprodil) outperformed Merck‘s MK-7264 (gefapixant) in an animal model of acute cough, a preclinical study by a contract research organization (CRO) shows. NP-120 is Algernon’s repurposed lead candidate for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), while MK-7264 is Merck’s lead candidate for the treatment…
When I started writing this column it felt like such a gift to have a space to share my story. I didn’t care if anyone but my editors read my posts. Maybe it’s selfish, but this is a way for me to process the experiences I had related to…
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