This condition refers to the growth of fibrous connective tissue as a reparative response in a reaction to an injury or damage to the organs or tissue. It is the deposition of the connective tissue as the normal process of healing that occurs. Some of the several types of fibrosis include the pulmonary fibrosis, liver cirrhosis and cardiac fibrosis.
Pulmonary fibrosis
This condition can develop progressively or quickly that affects the individual’s breathing which can deteriorate over time. This lung disease develops when the tissue of the lung becomes damaged and scarred which makes it difficult for the lungs to effectively function. There are three types of pulmonary fibrosis which are replacement fibrosis that is the response to lung damage from infection, focal fibrosis occurs from exposure to irritant materials when inhaled and diffuse parenchymal lung disease which can develop as the inflammation of the lung tissue. The symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis include dry cough, fast breathing, shortness of breath, weight loss, fatigue, aching joints and muscles. In most of the cases, the cause of this condition remains unknown although some of the risk factors for developing pulmonary fibrosis include various infections, use of certain medications, exposure to environmental pollutants and genetic factor. In addition, some of the medical conditions that can cause the lung damage include pneumonia, dermatomyositis, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma and mixed connective tissue disease. The scarring that has occurred cannot be reversed and hence no treatment course has proven to be effective. Some of the medications can improve the symptoms temporarily and the quality of the individual’s life. This includes oxygen therapy that can make breathing easier and prevent complications, pulmonary rehabilitation that helps individuals manage their symptoms and lung transplant remains optional.
Liver cirrhosis
The liver is responsible for various functions such as the removal of toxic materials from the body, cleaning the blood and by producing essential nutrients required. Liver cirrhosis is the scarring of the liver as the result of liver damage over a long period of time. Whenever the liver is injured, in the process of regeneration, it produces scar tissues. When the healthy tissues of the liver are replaced by the scarring, this can affect the effective function of the liver. This condition can result in liver failure although treatment can slow the progression. During the initial stages, liver cirrhosis does not present any symptoms and only when the liver function becomes affected, various related symptoms develop. This can include loss of appetite, nausea, itchy skin, jaundice, dark stool, accumulation of fluid in the legs and vomiting blood. Liver cirrhosis can develop as the result of various causes and some of them include excess alcohol consumption, infected with hepatitis C, rare genetic conditions such as wilson’s disease and the use of certain medications. Although liver cirrhosis cannot be cured, medications can help in preventing complications, to slow the progression of this condition and to manage the symptoms.
References
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Cirrhosis/Pages/Introduction.aspx
https://www.cff.org/What-is-CF/About-Cystic-Fibrosis/
