Use of cancer chemotherapy agents or rituximab to treat autoimmune diseases was associated with an increased risk of pulmonary fibrosis (PF) in people hospitalized with COVID-19, according to a large-scale U.S. study. Exposure to these medications, along with anti-inflammatory corticosteroids and amiodarone, used to treat certain heart rhythm disorders,…
Rituximab, chemotherapy elevate PF risk after COVID-19: Study
Living with a chronic illness like idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a multifaceted endeavor. It’s hard to fully describe just how many aspects of life the disease affects. Despite writing about it for seven years, there’s always something new I want to share with this community, because…
Have you ever had the nagging feeling that a gray cloud was hanging over your head? For the past three years and 10 months, I’ve felt such a cloud. It comes from being labeled and stigmatized for my disability. Stigma can be described as a deeply discrediting attribute that…
In a single month, I’ve had three vaccinations, three medical procedures requiring anesthesia, two lab tests, one dental appointment, one pentamidine treatment, one appointment at the pulmonary clinic, and one pulmonary function test. As I’ve noted before, life after lung transplant is busy with medical surveillance. I…
LYT-100, PureTech Health’s oral treatment candidate for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), was well tolerated among healthy older adults at doses leading to much higher amounts of active medication in the body than the approved dose of Esbriet (pirfenidone). That’s according to new data from Phase 1 clinical…
Amy Silverstein’s second memoir, “My Glory Was I Had Such Friends” (2017), left a lasting impression on me. It wasn’t just because of the way Silverstein’s devoted friends attended to her while she awaited a second heart transplant, or even how that story mirrored…
“Hello darkness, my old friend/ I’ve come to talk with you again/ Because a vision softly creeping/ Left its seeds while I was sleeping/ And the vision that was planted in my brain/ Still remains/ Within the sound of silence.” Those words are from the song “The Sound of…
Proteins called histones can trigger lung fibrosis (scarring) by prompting platelets, cell fragments involved in blood clotting, to release a signaling molecule called transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFB1), a new study found. TGFB1, in turn, blocks the production of interleukin-27 (IL-27), a signaling molecule that normally helps to limit…
Today, I’m wrapping up another trip around the sun. On Oct. 4, 1957, the day I was born, the former Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, Earth’s first artificial satellite. I’ve often wondered if there’s any relationship between my birthday and my love of space. Astronomy was my science during my…
Treatment with AP01, Avalyn Pharma‘s experimental inhaled formulation of pirfenidone, appears to be slightly more effective for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) than the oral version, which is sold as Esbriet, and results in fewer side effects. AP01’s efficacy and safety profiles with progressive forms of pulmonary…
