Doctors may prescribe medicines, oxygen therapy, pulmonary rehabilitation (PR), and lung transplant to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
Currently, no medicines are proven to slow the progression of IPF.
Prednisone, azathioprine (A-zah-THI-o-preen), and N-acetylcysteine (a-SEH-til-SIS-tee-in) have been used to treat IPF, either alone or in combination. However, experts have not found enough evidence to support their use.
Prednisone is an anti-inflammatory medicine. You usually take it by mouth every day. However, your doctor may give it to you through a needle or tube inserted into a vein in your arm for several days. After that, you usually take it by mouth.
Because prednisone can cause serious side effects, your doctor may prescribe it for 3 to 6 months or less at first. Then, if it works for you, your doctor may reduce the dose over time and keep you on it longer.
Azathioprine suppresses your immune system. You usually take it by mouth every day. Because it can cause serious side effects, your doctor may prescribe it with prednisone for only 3 to 6 months.
If you don't have serious side effects and the medicines seem to help you, your doctor may keep you on them longer.
N-acetylcysteine is an antioxidant that may help prevent lung damage. You usually take it by mouth several times a day.
A common treatment for IPF is a combination of prednisone, azathioprine, and N-acetylcysteine. However, this treatment was recently found harmful in a study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
If you have IPF and take this combination of medicines, talk with your doctor. Do not stop taking the medicines on your own.
The NHLBI currently supports research to compare N-acetylcysteine treatment with placebo treatment (sugar pills) in patients who have IPF.
Researchers, like those in the Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Network, are studying new treatments for IPF. With the support and guidance of the NHLBI, these researchers continue to look for new IPF treatments and therapies.
Some of these researchers are studying medicines that may reduce inflammation and prevent or reduce scarring caused by IPF.
If you're interested in joining a research study, talk with your doctor. For more information about ongoing research, go to the "Clinical Trials" section of this article.
Other treatments that may help people who have IPF include the following:
If the amount of oxygen in your blood gets low, you may need oxygen therapy. Oxygen therapy can help reduce shortness of breath and allow you to be more active.
Oxygen usually is given through nasal prongs or a mask. At first, you may need it only during exercise and sleep. As your disease worsens, you may need it all the time.
For more information, go to the Health Topics Oxygen Therapy article.
PR is now a standard treatment for people who have chronic (ongoing) lung disease. PR is a broad program that helps improve the well-being of people who have breathing problems.
The program usually involves treatment by a team of specialists in a special clinic. The goal is to teach you how to manage your condition and function at your best.
PR doesn't replace medical therapy. Instead, it's used with medical therapy and may include:
For more information, go to the Health Topics Pulmonary Rehabilitation article.
Your doctor may recommend a lung transplant if your condition is quickly worsening or very severe. A lung transplant can improve your quality of life and help you live longer.
Some medical centers will consider patients older than 65 for lung transplants if they have no other serious medical problems.
The major complications of a lung transplant are rejection and infection. ("Rejection" refers to your body creating proteins that attack the new organ.) You will have to take medicines for the rest of your life to reduce the risk of rejection.
Because the supply of donor lungs is limited, talk with your doctor about a lung transplant as soon as possible.
For more information, go to the Health Topics Lung Transplant article.
Clinical trials are research studies that explore whether a medical strategy, treatment, or device is safe and effective for humans. To find clinical trials that are currently underway for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, visit www.clinicaltrials.gov.
October 21, 2011
Commonly used three-drug regimen for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis found harmful
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health, has stopped one arm of a three arm multi-center, clinical trial studying treatments for the lung-scarring disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) for safety concerns.
The NHLBI updates Health Topics articles on a biennial cycle based on a thorough review of research findings and new literature. The articles also are updated as needed if important new research is published. The date on each Health Topics article reflects when the content was originally posted or last revised.