Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the term given to the disease when doctors cannot attribute a single cause to the development of the disease. However, being male, over the age of 50, a smoker or ex-smoker and having a family history of the disease are all risks. Up to 20 percent of IPF patients share the disease with another close family member.

In addition, it’s thought that patients who suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may have an increased risk of PH due to inhaling some of the stomach acid that comes up the esophagus causing damage to the lung tissue.

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