Simple breathing exercises as an add-on therapy can safely slow lung function decline and improve quality of life in people with mild to moderate idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a small study reported. After six months of disease-tailored and daily breathing exercises, participants showed significant gains in several measures of…
Registration is now open for Global Genes‘ 2021 RARE Patient Advocacy Summit. This year’s hybrid event will be livestreamed from California Sept. 27-29, and some seats also are available for attending the event in person in San Diego. “Here you’ll have the opportunity to connect and engage with others…
A type 2 diabetes medication, metformin significantly eased lung inflammation and scarring (fibrosis) in a mouse model of silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis (PF), both at early and late stages of the disease. Notably, these benefits were found to be associated with a reduction in oxidative stress, inflammation, fibrotic markers, and…
I received my new lungs a year ago, on Aug. 14, 2020. Now it’s time for me to reflect on my quality of life. Initially, I evaluated my progress by how long I stayed in the hospital. Unfortunately, I failed my goal to leave the hospital at the two-week mark…
People with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, are at a greater risk of severe illness leading to mechanical ventilation or death than are infected patients without this progressive lung disease, a large database study reported. Among hospitalized individuals, however, its scientists saw…
Treatment with two approved antifibrotics did not lessen a risk of death in recently hospitalized idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients, but those using either therapy who went on to be discharged were more likely to live longer than those who were not, a database study reported. “To our knowledge, this…
In March 2019, my mom, Holly, got a second chance at life. Her bilateral lung transplant was a gift of the highest order. It saved and prolonged her life when nothing else would. It gave her body back the power to enjoy living. It restored her health and independence.
The degree of collagen degradation, a process called collagen turnover, evident in a person’s blood at the time idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is diagnosed predicts the severity of disease progression within one year, regardless of antifibrotic treatment, a study reported. These findings support the use of collagen turnover as a blood…
Many significant milestones in life occur during young adulthood. Some may buy their first home, get married, and start a family, which is a typical trajectory. Unfortunately, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive and fatal lung disease, doesn’t care about typical trajectories. It unapologetically interferes with the lives of patients…
Registration is now open for the 2021 Rare Diseases and Orphan Products Breakthrough Summit, which will be held virtually Oct. 18–19. The event, also known as the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) Summit, brings the rare disease community together to network and discuss developments in treatments and research…
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