What Is Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF)?
IDIOPATHIC PULMONARY FIBROSIS (IPF) is a disease of inflammation that results in scarring or fibrosis, of the lungs. In time, this fibrosis can build up to the point where the lungs are unable to provide oxygen to the tissues of the body. Doctors use the word “idiopathic” (from the Greek “idio” meaning “peculiar” or “unusual” and “pathy” meaning “illness”) to describe the disease, because the cause of IPF is unknown. Currently, researchers believe that IPF may result from either an autoimmune disorder, a condition in which the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues, or the aftereffects of an infection, most likely a virus. Whatever the trigger is for IPF, it appears to set off a series of events in which the inflammation and immune activity in the lungs–and, eventually, the fibrosis processes, too–become uncontrollable. In a few cases, heredity appears to play a part, possibly making some individuals more likely than others to get IPF. In studies of patients with IPF, the avera
