Fibrosis occurs in organs and tissues (ex. pulmonary fibrosis is fibrosis in the lungs). This can be reactive, benign, or pathological.
Fibrosis may refer to the deposition of connective tissue that occurs as a normal part of the healing process or the deposition of excess tissue that occurs as part of a pathological process. If the fibrosis results from a response to injury, it is called scarring.
Similar to an exaggerated wound healing response, fibrosis results in scarring and thickening of affected tissue. Many diseases end with fibrosis in various organs such as the lungs or liver.
This condition also appears in people with lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and other connective tissue diseases. Many otherwise healthy people experience Raynaud’s Phenomenon without any other illness; this is called Primary Raynaud’s Disease.
The thickening and hardening of tissue makes it difficult for the lungs to function properly. As pulmonary fibrosis worsens, the patient will become more and more short of breath. Other symptoms may include a dry cough, fatigue, unexplained weight loss, aching muscles and joints, or widening and rounding of the tips of the fingers or toes.
In many cases, the physician is unable to identify what is causing the fibrosis; if the cause is unknown, the condition is called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
However, medications and therapies can help ease symptoms and improve the patient’s quality of life. In severe cases, lung transplants may be necessary.
As scar tissue accumulates, liver function worsens. When cirrhosis is advanced, the liver no longer works properly. Cirrhosis is typically caused by alcoholism, fatty liver disease, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C. It can also occur as a result of scleroderma.
At this point, it may cause a wide range of symptoms, including easy bleeding and bruising, fatigue, jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), ascites (fluid accumulation in the abdomen), weight loss, itchy skin, nausea, swelling in the legs, disorientation, drowsiness, slurred speech, and the development of spider-like vessels underneath the skin surface.
However, the general goal is to slow the progression of the disease and alleviate symptoms. When cirrhosis is in an advanced stage, a liver transplant may be the only option.
The fibrous connective tissue causes wall stiffening, reduced contractility, and an overall impaired heart performance. Cardiac fibrosis may lead to heart failure.
Cardiac fibrosis is seen in the end stages of many diseases.
Resveratrol, a compound present in red wine, has been found to slow the development of cardiac fibrosis. Other approaches of countering cardiac fibrosis, such as microRNA inhibition, are being tested in animal models of the disease. Heart transplants are necessary in severe cases.
Renal scarring results in a progressive loss of renal function that can ultimately lead to end-stage renal failure. If a patient’s kidneys cannot clean the blood properly, waste products and fluid accumulate to dangerous levels. Symptoms may include itching, muscle cramps, nausea and vomiting, lack of appetite, swelling in the feet and ankles, urine abnormalities, shortness of breath, or trouble sleeping.
Patients who lose kidney function due to renal fibrosis often require dialysis or kidney transplantation. Dialysis, which often entails diverting blood to a dialysis machine to be cleaned, removes waste products and excess fluid from the patient’s blood.
