Do you ever wonder what your bigger picture looks like and what life lessons you’re meant to learn? I am aware that this is a very philosophical question to open a column with, but I can’t help but wonder about it after being diagnosed with a fatal lung disease. Since…
Pondering the Bigger Picture in Life
Developing gene therapies for rare diseases is one thing. Creating gene-edited “designer babies” is quite another. German legal expert Timo Minssen outlined the potentially explosive ethical landmines surrounding such issues during a recent talk at the New York Genome Center. Minssen directs the Center for Advanced Studies in…
Efforts to optimize treatments to address critical challenges in treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has been given a boost by a more than CA$670,000 grant to support a collaborative project between Ceapro and academic researchers at McMaster…
Men who are active smokers and experience faster respiratory decline when diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are at greater risk to develop lung cancer, according to a study. Clinicians should be aware of this risk pattern in order to detect and treat lung cancer early in IPF patients, as…
Online forums have markedly altered how patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals communicate and connect. Even when miles apart, individuals can establish supportive relationships, share experiences and information, and sometimes simply vent. Bionews Services, a leading online health, science, and research publication company, has been introducing its own…
Last week, I talked about how caring for my mother, Holly, before and after her double-lung transplant helped prepare me for parenthood. As an only child, I hadn’t yet had the opportunity to care for someone in such a comprehensive way. I learned a lot about myself and how…
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) increases the risk of developing idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), particularly in male patients with Crohn’s disease, a large-scale population study shows. The study, “Increased Risk of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis…
Learning to cope with a chronic illness is an ongoing process — and never easy. My entire world was flipped upside down when I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in April 2016. I didn’t know anything about interstitial lung diseases and felt bitter that I had to…
Low body mass index (BMI) is a risk factor for nausea and diarrhea as side effects of Ofev (nintedanib) treatment in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a study has found. These results also suggest that lower performance status and a full starting dosage are risk factors…
Imagine living your whole life with a painful disease so rare that only 25 others worldwide have what you have. And that you’re one of just six such people who’ve made it to adulthood. Neena Nizar doesn’t have to imagine. The 41-year-old English professor at Metro Community College in Elkhorn,…
