Page 2 of 2

Re: Should I be concerned?

Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 6:38 pm
by Dr Joanna Porter
Dear Elaine

Firstly well done for your own understanding and detective work. The whole area of interstitial lung disease is complex. Almost any insult (inhaled such as dust or bird feathers) or circulating (medication or certain autoantibodies) can cause lung damage in an individual. The lung either becomes inflamed or fibrosed or a mixture of both. If no cause is found, it is called idiopathic, if it is the most severe form of fibrosis and idiopathic, it is called IPF. I hope that that makes sense? It is sometimes very very hard to distinguish the severe fibrosis seen with hypersensitivity to bird feathers from IPF even with a lung biopsy, especially if performed late in the disease process or at post mortem. Your brother had reasons to develop pulmonary fibrosis (birds, hiatus hernia, male) and you many never know which specific cause or form he had.

Either way- whether this was IPF or fibrosis due to birds or a mixture in your family, it does suggest that your family is susceptible to a fibrotic response to lung damage and I would suggest the same checks.

Best wishes, Dr Jo Porter

PS: You tend not to see an allergic reaction to the budgies just a gradual onset of shortness of breath over some time in some people; others may have a more acute response, but these tend to be the patients that stop keeping budgies and so never develop the full blown chronic fibrotic response over time.

Re: Should I be concerned?

Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 7:25 pm
by Grovee01
Thank you, yes, makes absolute sense.

My mother also suffered for just a few years with rheumatoid arthritis so I guess a very complex case for her consultant. She was still given a CFA diagnosis and the same appears on her death certificate. She initially presented with classic finger clubbing and had a lung capacity of 37% with dropped to 24% in just 3 months (I hope I have my terminology correct here). Her lung capacity was very much reduced before she had any symptoms of the disease.

Anyway, I will take your advice and I am so very grateful for this forum.

One last question. I live in Coventry, am I too far away to be seen at UCLH? Not a problem for me. If not, is there another specialist hospital near me that you know of?

Elaine.

Re: Should I be concerned?

Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2015 10:10 am
by Dr Joanna Porter
Dear Elaine,

Firstly well done for your own understanding and detective work. The whole area of interstitial lung disease is complex. Almost any insult (inhaled such as dust or bird feathers) or circulating (medication or certain autoantibodies) can cause lung damage in an individual. The lung either becomes inflammed or fibrosed or a mixture of both. If no cause is found it is called idiopathic, if it is the most severe form of fibrosis and idiopathic it is called IPF. I hope that that makes sense? It is sometimes very very hard to distinguish the severe fibrosis seen with hypersensitivity to bird feathers from IPF even with a lung biopsy, especially if performed late in the disease process or at post mortem. Your brother had reasons to develop pulmonary fibrosis (birds, hiatus hernia, male ) and you many never know which specific cause or form he had.

Either way- whether this was IPF or fibrosis due to birds or a mixture in your family it does suggest that your family is susceptible to a fibrotic response to lung damage and I would suggest the same checks.

Vbw Jo

PS you tend not to see an allergic reaction to the budgies just a gradual onset of shortness of breath over some time in some people; others may have a more acute response but these tend to be the patients that stop keeping budgies and so never develop the full blown chronic fibrotic response over time.

Re: Should I be concerned?

Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2015 10:32 am
by Grovee01
Thank you. This appears to be a duplicated post from the other day, did you mean to post something else in response to my last question?

Elaine.

Re: Should I be concerned?

Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2015 11:01 am
by Dr Joanna Porter
Dear Elaine

Sorry for the double post. rheumatoid arthritis also causes lung fibrosis that can be indistinguishable from that seen in IPF. I agree a very complex case. We see patients from anywhere if they are happy to come to us. There will be a centre closer to you but I not entirely sure which hospital. I hope all goes well . Very best wishes Jon

Re: Should I be concerned?

Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2015 1:37 pm
by Grovee01
Thank you.

Re: Should I be concerned?

Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2015 4:47 pm
by Dr Joanna Porter
Dear Elaine,

Here is the list from the BLF of specialist centres for ILD
file:///Users/joanna/Downloads/pulmonary-fibrosis-services-map-080115.pdf

If that link does not work here is the original page
http://www.blf.org.uk/Page/IPF-Services-around-the-UK

good luck and would, of course, be delighted to see you at UCLH if you decide on that course.

Jo

Re: Should I be concerned?

Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2015 7:41 pm
by Grovee01
Much appreciated. So glad I posted on this forum.