Patient's question:
Every year, I go to the hospital for irregular health check-ups. Today, when I went to the hospital to pick up my health check report, the doctor told me that I had pulmonary fibrosis. I don’t know what pulmonary fibrosis means and how serious it is?Doctor's answer:
Pulmonary fibrosis is caused by the gradual replacement of normal alveoli with fibrous tissue, leading to the hardening and thickening of lung tissue. This results in structural changes to normal lung tissue, gradually impairing the lung's ability to exchange oxygen with blood. Patients experience breathing difficulties, choking on water, acidosis, loss of productivity, and in severe cases, death. The survival rate of pulmonary fibrosis ranks second only to lung cancer, with a relatively short survival period typically lasting 6 to 24 months. Acute fibrosis can lead to death within a month.