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Suggest Treatment For Pulmonary Fibrosis And ILD

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Posted on Thu, 4 Jun 2015
Question: my father , age 78, diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis( ILD).is it right treatment . there is no improvement with alopathic treatment . pl. help, any other alternate treatment

Dr. XXXX
doctor
Answered by Dr. Drkaushal85 (2 hours later)
Brief Answer:
You can start N acetyl cysteine.

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for your question on HCM.
I can understand your father's situation and problem.
Pulmonary fibrosis (ILD) is chronic, progressive and end stage Pulmonary disease.
Many drugs are in pipeline but none of them are effective and curative.
Perfinodone is the only US FDA approved drug which is having anti fibrotic action.
But it is effective only in early stages of fibrosis. It has no effect on late stage (end stage) fibrosis.
N acetyl cysteine (NAC) is now a days used along with perfinodone for fibrosis.
NAC is having anti inflammatory, antioxidants, mucolytic and expectorant properties.
So this drug can be tried in your father's case.
Long term oxygen therapy (LTOT) is also advisable in Pulmonary fibrosis. Daily at least 17-18 hours of oxygen is beneficial for patient. It can delay the progression of ILD.
Chest physiotherapy and deep breathing exercises are also good in some patients as they can improve lung function.
So, these are other treatment options for ILD.
Hope I have solved your query.
I will be happy to help you further.
Wish you good health.
Thanks.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Drkaushal85 (7 hours later)
Is it necessary to take 17-18 ours of Oxygen. In present condition whenever he moves out of bed for for toilet ext his SpO2 level drop up to 80 otherwise it remains above 90, so he is taking intermittent O2. Pl suggest physiotherapy because he is not able to do himself pranayam .
his latest blood gas test sows PO2 66.1mm Hg, and SO2 (c) 93.7%
doctor
Answered by Dr. Drkaushal85 (7 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Yes, LTOT has good outcomes in ILD patients.

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for your follow up question on HCM.
Yes, LTOT is having good outcomes in ILD patients.
Even if his oxygen saturation at rest is more than 90, low dose oxygen at (1-2 liters) will be very beneficial for him.
He should keep oxygen especially at night. Because nocturnal desaturation is common in normal individuals, and it is more in ILD patients.
Nocturnal asymptomatic desaturation is the main cause for development of Pulmonary hypertension in such cases.
So better to give oxygen for 17-18 hours a day (especially during sleep).
For physiotherapy you need to consult physiotherapist for proper demonstration.
Deep breathing exercises, chest and back patting, incentive spirometry etc can be given in chest physiotherapy.
Hope I have solved your query.
If you are not having further queries, then please close the conversation and rate my answer.
You can ask me directly on bit.ly/askdrkaushalbhavsar.
Wishing good health to your father.
Thanks.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Drkaushal85

Pulmonologist

Practicing since :2008

Answered : 15005 Questions

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Suggest Treatment For Pulmonary Fibrosis And ILD

Brief Answer: You can start N acetyl cysteine. Detailed Answer: Thanks for your question on HCM. I can understand your father's situation and problem. Pulmonary fibrosis (ILD) is chronic, progressive and end stage Pulmonary disease. Many drugs are in pipeline but none of them are effective and curative. Perfinodone is the only US FDA approved drug which is having anti fibrotic action. But it is effective only in early stages of fibrosis. It has no effect on late stage (end stage) fibrosis. N acetyl cysteine (NAC) is now a days used along with perfinodone for fibrosis. NAC is having anti inflammatory, antioxidants, mucolytic and expectorant properties. So this drug can be tried in your father's case. Long term oxygen therapy (LTOT) is also advisable in Pulmonary fibrosis. Daily at least 17-18 hours of oxygen is beneficial for patient. It can delay the progression of ILD. Chest physiotherapy and deep breathing exercises are also good in some patients as they can improve lung function. So, these are other treatment options for ILD. Hope I have solved your query. I will be happy to help you further. Wish you good health. Thanks.