Pulminary Fibrosis Claims

What is Pulmonary Fibrosis?

Pulmonary fibrosis is an interstitial lung disease which means that it affects the tissues that support the lung system.

Causes and Symptoms of Pulmonary Fibrosis

There are over 200 types of this disease and not all of them have a known cause such as the most common type of the disease, Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis also known as extrinsic allergic alveolitis (EAA) occurs when the lungs develop hypersensitivity to something that is breathed in and causes inflammation of the lung tissue (pneumonitis). Farmer’s lung caused by breathing in mould on grain, hay or straw and bird fancier’s lung caused by breathing in dust from feathers or bird droppings are examples of this.

Symptoms include coughing, shortness of breath and sometimes fever and aching joints.  They can come on suddenly or build up due to exposure over a number of years.

Pneumoconiosis is a group of diseases caused by breathing in certain dusts within the workplace.  The dusts become lodged in the lungs resulting in scarring.  Silicosis caused by exposure to silica dust and asbestosis caused by breathing in asbestos are types of Pneumoconiosis. Diagnosis may not happen for decades after the exposure as it can take a long time for symptoms to appear.

Symptoms can include shortness of breath, coughing, tiredness and chest pain.