Why am I suffering from lung fibrosis?

Q: I am a 32 years old male diagnosed with lung fibrotic lesions and there is impression of lung tuberculosis fibrosis. What is lung fibrosis? Why am I suffering from lung fibrosis?

A:The description of lung fibrosis may indicate past exposure to TB but without a clinical examination and more details it may not be clear if there is active disease for which treatment is needed. The diagnosis of active TB will depend on symptoms like weight loss, fever, night sweats and examination of respiratory specimens like sputum to look for presence of TB bacteria also called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Based on the stated weight and height it appears you will need to get to a more optimum weight.

The saliva accumulation sometimes occurs if there is impaired drainage for example by increase in soft tissue in the throat and can also cause obstructive sleep apnoea. Lung fibrosis is due to many other causes also but in general if it is from prior infection it may not progress much more if the infection was a long time ago. However other situations like aspiration of food, exposure to certain dusts and chemicals can also cause lung fibrosis. In summary, please talk to your physician about further evaluation to see if there is any active lung disease or if this is old scar in the lungs. The treatment will differ based on the cause of the problem.