Interstitial Lung Disease

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Signs and Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment

Treatment

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is treated at the Interstitial Lung Disease Center of Excellence at UCSF. World-renowned lung specialists, chest radiologists, pathologists and in some cases, lung transplant specialists, work together as a team to design the most effect treatment plan for your condition.

The exact cause of IPF is unknown at this time. Therefore, there is no specific, curative treatment currently available.

However, medications are available that reduce symptoms and slow disease progression. These include corticosteroids, usually prednisone, taken in combination with drugs to suppress the bodys immune response, such as azathioprine and cyclophosphamide. It is important to note that these medications are only effective in a small number of people, typically those whose disease is not advanced.

A lung transplant may be an effective treatment option for some patients. Our lung transplant staff has performed more than 100 transplants since the program started in 1991, with an average one-year survival rate of 80 percent compared to a national average one-year survival rate of 70 percent. Our team is dedicated to providing the most comprehensive medical and surgical care found anywhere. The support group, social work and psychological services are committed to supporting the patients and their families during the entire transplant process from the initial evaluation through the transplant surgery and thereafter.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Medical Center.
Last updated May 8, 2007