Clinical Features
IPF affects both genders and is usually encountered in patients greater than 50 years of age. However there is a notable reported case of a young adult has been diagnosed with IPF. There are many different statements about average survival time following first diagnosis. Symptoms are gradual in onset. The most common are progressive dyspnea (difficulty breathing), but also include dry cough, clubbing (a disfigurement of the fingers), and rales (a crackling sound in the lungs during inhalation, heard with a stethoscope). It should be noted that these features are not specific for IPF and can occur in a wide variety of other pulmonary disorders.
Read more about this topic: Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
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