Can lung transplantation be used for pulmonary fibrosis?

Pulmonary fibrosis is irreversible, that is, fibrosis has already occurred in the patient's lungs. Generally, only conservative treatments can be adopted. The more common ones are traditional Chinese medicine treatment and Western medicine treatment. If conditions permit, the lungs can be replaced, but the current lung source is particularly tight, so it is quite difficult to replace the lungs. For more serious patients, non-invasive ventilator-assisted treatment can be tried.

Lifestyle Treatment

(1) It is crucial to actively prevent colds, as each cold will make the condition worse. For details, please refer to the article on colds.

(2) Patients in the acute and critical stage should have a light diet and eat more fresh, juicy fruits and vegetables. Patients with dry throat can be given fruit juice, such as pear juice, radish juice, lotus root juice and watermelon. Patients in the remission period should eat less seafood, mutton and other irritating foods, but should maintain a daily diet including fresh pork, eggs, fruits, vegetables, etc. Pay attention to nutritional support. Eating more soups (bone soup, chicken soup, fish soup, etc.) can change the patient's immune and physical condition and control the disease. Avoid spicy, stimulating, raw or cold food. Avoid overeating.

(3) This disease is closely related to breathing fresh air. It is even more important to quit smoking resolutely. Do breathing exercises every morning, keep the air in the room fresh, and maintain a certain humidity in the room. Do not place coal stoves in living rooms. Do not live in a newly renovated house or a house with new furniture.

(4) Patients should engage in appropriate activities based on their different conditions and their own mobility, avoiding overwork and inactivity. Maintain a calm, empty-hearted and cheerful emotional state.

(5) It is also very important to educate workers in mines, coal mines, foundries, chemicals, cement factories, and other industries, as well as farmers who are exposed to pesticides, fertilizers, and mushroom growers, to raise their awareness of the disease and do a good job of protection. Maintaining the ecological environment for human survival and controlling the pollution of the atmosphere and water sources are very important to avoid toxic substances from harming the human body, prevent the occurrence of this disease and reduce the incidence rate.

Western medicine treatment:

(1) Hormone therapy: Generally, methylprednisolone or prednisone is given at a dose of 30 to 40 mg per day, which is gradually reduced to a maintenance dose of 5 to 10 mg per day. The total course of treatment is six months to one year. Pay attention to supplementing calcium and potassium, observe blood pressure and blood sugar, and prevent side effects of hormones. (2) Treatment of complications: Anti-infection treatment, select antibiotics based on the pathogen. (3) Bronchodilators: aminophylline, salbutamol, etc. (4) Oxygen therapy: suitable for advanced patients.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment:

You need to go to a regular hospital for treatment based on syndrome differentiation. There are mainly the following syndrome types:

Deficiency of Lung Qi: low cough and wheeze, easy fatigue, spontaneous sweating, fear of wind, easy to catch cold, pale tongue with white coating, and weak pulse. Treatment method: Nourish the lung qi, relieve cough and asthma. Prescriptions: raw astragalus, raw white atractylodes, apricot kernel, aster, coltsfoot flower, earthworm, siler, pseudostellaria, roasted ephedra, raw licorice, etc. with additions and subtractions. Chinese patent medicine: Yupingfeng Granules.