What is pulmonary fibrosis?
Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a form of lung disease that affects the interstitium of the lungs. The interstitium is the tissue wall between the air sacs in the lungs. There are many types of pulmonary fibrosis depending on its cause. Pulmonary fibrosis could be: • Idiopathic ( unknown cause) • Due to environmental or occupational exposures • Related to diseases of the immune system • Induced by various drugs or radiation treatment • Familial What is familial pulmonary fibrosis? Familial Pulmonary Fibrosis (FPF) is a form of pulmonary fibrosis which appears to run in families rather than occurring randomly. The manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment for FPF are similar to the idiopathic form. What is the goal of our study? Our study is trying to find the cause of familial pulmonary fibrosis. Specifically it will attempt to determine if certain genes are associated with the development of pulmonary fibrosis. Each participant will be asked to: • Have a pulmonary function test (used to det
