What medical techniques help diagnose idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis?

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If idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is suspected through clinical symptoms such as abnormal breathing sounds when the patient takes a deep breath, swollen fingertips and feet, the doctor will order some tests and diagnoses. Imaging tests such as chest X-ray, respiratory function measurement and blood oxygen level to accurately confirm the diagnosis and status of the disease.

1. What is idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis?

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is one of the lung diseases. However, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis cannot determine the cause of the disease. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis develops when the alveolar wall thickens due to scarring.
However, some risk factors for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis may be gastroesophageal reflux disease, frequent smokers or living in a polluted environment, people with viral infections, and families with history of pathological disorders,...
When you have idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, the symptoms may vary depending on the stage of disease progression. The symptoms that patients often encounter are as follows:
Shortness of breath: The cause of shortness of breath in people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is the decrease in the amount of oxygen in the blood as the disease progresses. Many people are often subjective and neglect to visit the doctor, leading to dangerous complications as well as increasingly difficult breathing; Dry cough or cough with phlegm accompanied by symptoms of body fatigue, unexplained weight loss; Swollen fingers or toes: This symptom is very common and occurs in 50% of cases. The phenomenon of fingers and feet swelling at the base of fingernails and toenails but no pain. If left untreated for a long time, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis often progresses dangerously, making the patient's health worse. Current treatments cannot prevent scarring and damage, which can lead to dangerous complications such as pulmonary embolism, pulmonary hypertension or heart failure...

2. What medical techniques help diagnose idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis?

If idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is suspected through clinical symptoms such as abnormal breathing sounds when the patient takes a deep breath, swollen fingertips and feet, the doctor will order some tests and diagnoses. diagnostic imaging such as:
X-ray of the lungs, measuring respiratory function and blood oxygen levels, echocardiography to accurately determine the diagnosis and status of the disease; In some more complicated cases, patients may be assigned to do some more paraclinical tests such as blood tests, high-resolution chest CT scan, this is the imaging method of choice for diagnosis. diagnose idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; Lung biopsy to support the most accurate diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis. At the same time, this technique is done to rule out other potential causes such as lung cancer or granulomas. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis often progresses slowly, so in the early days, the diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is often difficult. Besides, the signs and symptoms of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis are similar to heart disease, so the differential diagnosis is also very difficult.

3. Methods of treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Currently there is no cure for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, the main interventions are to control as well as minimize symptoms and improve the patient's quality of life. Intervention methods include:
Quit smoking: If people with fibromyalgia have a habit of smoking, they need to quit immediately, because smoking is a factor that causes lung diseases. Therefore, smoking will aggravate the symptoms of the disease; Use of drugs: For idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, the use of drugs is necessary. The drugs that need to be used are steroids or corticosteroids in combination with immunosuppressants. However, steroids have side effects such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and trouble sleeping. Physiotherapy: Physical therapy helps the patient to restore respiratory function. Vaccination against infectious diseases: Vaccination against infectious diseases will help patients avoid the risk of infections, thereby limiting the progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Lung transplant: A lung transplant is a condition that requires lifelong treatment with immunosuppressive drugs. However, this method only applies in cases where the disease is too dangerous and does not respond to other treatments. When lung transplant, patients need to follow the doctor's instructions to achieve high efficiency. No treatment: In some cases, treatment with drugs or other therapies causes side effects, so for elderly patients with mild symptoms, it is best to visit and monitor regularly. regularly to prevent disease progression. Besides, to prevent disease, we need to have a healthy lifestyle and activities, be fully vaccinated as well as have regular health check-ups to screen for diseases. Currently, Vinmec International General Hospital is one of the leading prestigious hospitals in the country, trusted by a large number of patients for medical examination and treatment. Not only the physical system, modern equipment: 6 ultrasound rooms, 4 DR X-ray rooms (1 full-axis machine, 1 light machine, 1 general machine and 1 mammography machine) , 2 DR portable X-ray machines, 2 multi-row CT scanner rooms (1 128 rows and 1 16 arrays), 2 Magnetic resonance imaging rooms (1 3 Tesla and 1 1.5 Tesla), 1 room for 2 levels of interventional angiography and 1 room to measure bone mineral density.... Vinmec is also the place to gather a team of experienced doctors and nurses who will greatly assist in diagnosis and detection. early signs of abnormality in the patient's body. In particular, with the space designed according to 5-star hotel standards, Vinmec ensures to bring the patient the most comfort, friendliness and peace of mind.

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