How Do You Tell Others You Have a Terminal Lung Disease?

I’ll be honest, I’m not sure I have a good answer to this question, but I’ll share my journey delivering this message. My journey actually began by telling others I had breast cancer three-and-a-half years ago. Only 10 days elapsed between that awful phone call and my surgery. I…

When you think of someone who has a lung disease, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), it is easy to understand that physical exhaustion is likely a primary side effect. What may not be so easy to understand, however, is the mental exhaustion that comes with having…

This animated video from Boehringer Ingelheim discusses the symptoms of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The video explains that IPF is a rare lung condition which is notoriously difficult to diagnose and is often misdiagnosed as other more common lung diseases like COPD and asthma. Understand more about the facts of idiopathic…

Pulmospheres — tiny, three-dimensional spheres made of lung cells taken from patients — can predict how well a person with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) will respond to medications commonly used to treat the disease, according to a new study. Currently, “flat” cultures of lung cells are  used to study possible effects of drug treatments…

In this PeerView Press video, pulmonologist Dr. David J. Lederer discusses idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), with a focus on personalized care through communications and innovative strategies. He is joined by primary care physician Dr. Steven J. Antonini and pulmonary fibrosis patient Robert Brynteson. Read about six lesser-known symptoms of…

European patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) have lengthy and costly hospital stays, mainly because of acute respiratory events, according to a new study. There is a lack of information about the frequency of acute events among IPF patients, as well as on the outcomes, causes of poor prognosis, and financial burden of…

Vitamin D is often called the “sunshine vitamin,” mostly because we get it naturally when the sun’s UV rays interact with our skin, which triggers the vitamin’s synthesis. The vitamin helps our body’s absorption of calcium to keep our bones strong and encourage healthy cells to grow. Last year, researchers demonstrated the protective effects of vitamin…

A case report illustrates the possibility of treating cancer patients who develop bleomycin-triggered lung disease with Esbriet (pirfenidone) — a drug approved for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) treatment. Researchers acknowledged that further studies are needed, but they said combining Esbriet and corticosteroid drugs could completely reverse lung disease and prevent…

Evotec and MaRS Innovation have teamed to launch Fibrocor Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company that will be dedicated to developing treatments for fibrotic diseases, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Fibrocor received $2.1 million in financing, including cash from MaRS Innovation, the commercialization arm for 15 academic institutions in Ontario, Canada.

Doctors are calling for studies to ascertain whether Ofev (nintedanib) should be used to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients who suffer from acute exacerbations. Find out more about Ofev (nintedanib) here. This stems from the recent successful treatment of an 84-year-old man, who after being diagnosed with an…