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Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Other Names for this Disease
- Familial idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
- Fibrocystic pulmonary dysplasia
- Fibrosing alveolitis
- Fibrosing alveolitis, cryptogenic
- Hamman-Rich disease
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Overview
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a condition in which tissue deep in the lungs becomes thick and stiff, or scarred, over time. As a result the lungs lose their ability to move oxygen to the brain and throughout the body. Common symptoms include shortness of breath, and dry, hacking cough. “Idiopathic” refers to cases that’s cause is unknown.[1]
References
- Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/ipf/ipf_whatis.html. Accessed December 9, 2008.
Your Questions Answered
by the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center1 question(s) from the public on Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis have been answered. See questions and answers. You can also submit a new question.
On this page
General Information
- MedlinePlus, a Web site designed by the National Library of Medicine to help you research your health questions, provides more information about this topic. Click on the link to view this information.
- The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) provides leadership for a national program in diseases of the heart, blood vessels, lung, and blood; blood resources; and sleep disorders. Since October 1997, the NHLBI has also had administrative responsibility for the NIH Woman's Health Initiative. Click on the link to view information on this topic.
- The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) is a federation of more than 130 nonprofit voluntary health organizations serving people with rare disorders. Click on the link to view information on this topic.
- PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.
- The The Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) database contains genetics resources that discuss Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Click on the link to go to OMIM and review these resources.
Insurance Issues
- The Social Security Administration has included this condition in their Compassionate Allowances Initiative. This initiative speeds up the processing of disability claims for applicants with certain medical conditions that cause severe disability. More information about Compassionate Allowances and applying for Social Security disability is available online.