Fibrosis is a pathology in which connective tissues (dead) begin to replace healthy ones for various reasons. This can cause serious complications, even death. Moreover, there are many types of fibrosis: eyes, lungs, liver, breast, and in each case, the symptoms and causes of appearance will be different.
What is pulmonary fibrosis - causes and symptoms
Pulmonary fibrosis is a lump in the lung tissue that appears in the process of replacing it with connective tissue, resulting in the formation of scars. The respiratory function is also impaired, since both oxygen and carbon dioxide hardly penetrate through the alveolar walls.
The reasons for the development of this pathology are as follows:
- polluted air, inhalation of dust, silicates, mold;
- smoking;
- allergy to medications;
- internal pathology of connective tissue;
- infectious or inflammatory diseases, for example, pneumonia, tuberculosis;
- diabetes.
With this pathology, symptoms such as:
- severe shortness of breath;
- temperature rise;
- the appearance of cough, and it can be both dry and with a small amount of sputum;
- blueness of the hands, mucous in the mouth;
- breathing becomes more frequent, shallow;
- appearance of swelling and general weakness.
To avoid irreversible changes in the lungs, you should pay attention to the symptoms in time and go through a doctor.
In the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis, several basic principles are distinguished. For example, if a disease is associated with the influence of harmful factors, then they should be excluded to the maximum, for example, change jobs. The same applies to bad habits that could cause the appearance of fibrosis.
Also, oxygen therapy is mandatory, which is required to provide tissues with oxygen - if it is deficient, all organs in the human body will suffer.
Treatment involves the use of drugs, for example, bronchodilating drugs, expectorant drugs. To reduce the growth of connective tissue, glucocorticoids and cytostatics are prescribed. The doctor may prescribe antibacterial drugs at the beginning of the inflammatory process.
What is liver fibrosis and the main symptoms
If chronic or acute processes occur in the human body, this can cause the proliferation of connective tissue - this is called liver fibrosis. If therapy is not started on time, cell death begins, which can lead to liver cirrhosis.
If you pay attention to the symptoms, immediately be examined and begin treatment, you can avoid dangerous irreversible changes in the lungs.
It is worth noting that the symptoms of this disease manifest themselves far from immediately and depend on the stage (the problem can be detected only if a histological examination of the biopsy is performed). The primary signs of pathology also include:
- decreased performance;
- fatigue;
- any loads are more difficult to carry.
Since such symptoms may indicate other diseases, it is very important to consult with specialists who can conduct a thorough diagnosis and identify the disease.
Subsequently, symptoms such as bleeding (internal), bruising and spider veins may indicate fibrosis of the liver.
The main task facing specialists is to stop the processes of replacing normal connective tissue, to start the process of regeneration of the organ. And just a few decades ago, this pathology was considered incurable - it was treated only by the transplantation method, but today there is an effective therapy that can stop this process.
At any stage, drugs are used that reduce inflammation, eliminate the underlying cause, activate the regenerative processes. But it is also important, together with the use of medicines, to switch to a lifestyle with a minimal amount of stress.
There are several recommendations here:
- rejection of bad habits;
- transition to a special diet;
- exact adherence to the prescribed treatment regimen;
- regular but moderate exercise.
However, if the above options did not bring the desired result, they can order an operation, during which all foreign organisms are removed from the organ.
Symptoms and causes of breast fibrosis
The health of the female breast is directly related to the hormonal background. For example, hormonal changes during menopause, during pregnancy, lactation can lead to all sorts of processes in the structure of the glands. And the appearance of breast fibrosis is one of the processes. It is a cystic appearance of formations.
The main factors include:
- stress and negative emotions;
- exposure to toxic substances;
- prolonged fatigue;
- thyroid disease;
- inflammatory processes in the organs of the reproductive system.
The risk of developing breast fibrosis is increased in the following cases:
- with long-term use of hormonal drugs;
- with premature puberty;
- during the late onset of monopause;
- in the event of a premature pregnancy;
- late pregnancy - after 35 years;
- with frequent abortions;
- in case of failures in metabolic processes, in the presence of chronic diseases.
Most often, local mammary fibrosis occurs in women aged 30-50 years. The main symptoms include:
- discharge from the nipple;
- breast enlargement;
- small lesions in the chest that are palpable enough.
What is eye fibrosis?
This type of fibrosis refers to a slowly occurring eye disease, most often appears in old age. With the development of pathology, the membrane of the eye becomes corneal, becomes more rigid, after which a gap occurs in the peripheral part. The result is an atrophy of photoreceptors that perceive light, which causes retinal detachment.
Experts identify the following classification:
- local or focal - the initial stage, in which there is a small symptom, there are small areas of proliferation of connective tissues;
- diffuse, when fibrosis affects a large part of the eye, most often detects in the later stages.
The main symptoms of pathology include:
- blurred vision;
- decreased visual acuity;
- the appearance of visual distortion when the patient misunderstands the overall picture;
- bifurcation.
Treatment of the disease depends on the degree of pathology. For example, if the connective tissues do not affect the function of the eyes, then the therapy is not carried out - the doctor can prescribe only vitamin therapy and the use of potassium tablets.
Pathology of the pancreas
Most often, pancreatic fibrosis occurs as one of the complications of the chronic form of pancreatitis.
But the main danger of fibrosis is that it is already impossible to repair damaged tissues even with the help of medications and surgical intervention, and if the development of pathology does not stop in time, this can cause a tumor to appear.
Other factors for the development of the disease include:
- excess weight;
- alcohol abuse, smoking;
- pathology of the biliary system;
- inflammatory processes in the gut;
- unhealthy diet;
- constant stress;
- infectious diseases;
- hereditary factors;
- malfunctions of the thyroid gland.
In pancreatic fibrosis, symptoms are associated with the disease, which has led to the growth of connective tissue. So, the following signs are most often observed:
- pain on the left side;
- frequent urge to stool;
- nausea, especially after taking fatty foods;
- loss of appetite, constant feeling of heaviness;
- flatulence and bloating.
What is aortic valve fibrosis?
Fibrosis of the aortic valve cusps is a pathological condition of the main artery of the human body (aorta). It is a serious and dangerous condition in which the valve walls begin to grow rapidly, while the number of blood capillaries decreases. As a result of this, the aorta gets less nutrients, some of the cells die off, turning into fibrous tissue.
The more it grows, the more disorders in the organ, which can lead either to a stretching of the atria, or to the formation of stenosis.
The main reasons include congenital and acquired:
- age changes;
- after hormonal disruptions;
- with improper or inadequate treatment of hypertension;
- as a result of infectious diseases of heart tissue, lung diseases;
- improper lifestyle (smoking, alcohol consumption, lack of physical activity).
The main symptoms include: pain in the heart, shortness of breath (even with minimal exertion), weakness, heart palpitations. If such signs appear, it is necessary to consult a doctor for diagnosis and further treatment.
