Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

From WikiCover

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a lung disorder characterized by a progressive scarring -- known as fibrosis -- and deterioration of the lungs, which slowly robs its victims of their ability to breathe. Approximately 128,000 Americans suffer from IPF, and there is currently no known cause or cure. An estimated 48,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. IPF is difficult to diagnose and an estimated two-thirds of patients die within five years of diagnosis.

IPF is a devastating lung disorder that causes progressive and irreversible scarring in the lungs, and is ultimately fatal. The only treatment to improve survival is a lung transplant, yet most patients don't survive long enough to get one. The average life expectancy for IPF patients is just three years. Every 13 minutes, someone dies from pulmonary fibrosis in the U.S.

On July 26, 2007, The Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF) announced today the passage of legislation that recognizes the need for research into the cause of IPF. Senate Concurrent Resolution 42 (S. Con. Res. 42) recognizes the CPF's National IPF Awareness Week and raises the importance of the urgent need to identify viable treatments and an eventual cure for IPF, a disease that is becoming alarmingly more prevalent in the United States.