What are the symptoms of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is relatively common among middle-aged and elderly people. Generally speaking, patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis mainly have symptoms such as difficulty breathing. Different people have different symptoms. Some patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis also have some systemic symptoms.

1. Common symptoms include dyspnea or even breathing difficulty which gradually worsens, resulting in slow and shallow breathing. Nasal flaring and accessory muscles may be involved in breathing, but most people do not sit up to breathe, so respiratory problems are particularly worthy of attention.

2. In clinical practice, some patients may experience cough or sputum. There are also patients who do not have cough in the early stage, but may have dry cough or a small amount of mucus in the future. It is prone to secondary infection and the possibility of mucopurulent sputum or purulent sputum.

Symptoms of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

3. In addition, some people will experience systemic symptoms, which will cause weight loss and even fatigue. Some patients will also experience loss of appetite or joint pain, but these are generally rare. If it is an acute type, fever may occur.

4. The main symptom is insidious progressive dyspnea, which may be accompanied by cough, chest pain, fatigue, weight loss and other symptoms. The cough of elderly patients is mainly characterized by coughing up small amounts of phlegm, and the cough is obvious in the early stage of the disease, but gradually disappears as the disease progresses. However, for those with COPD, breathing difficulties continue to worsen after the cough improves, and the condition is often more serious. In the late stage, cyanosis and respiratory failure may occur. Physical examination revealed rapid and shallow breathing, with Velcro sounds audible at both lung bases.