Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive, irreversible, chronic disease of the lungs1, which currently affects between 80,000 and 111,000 people in Europe. Every year, additional 30,000-35,000 new patients will be diagnosed with IPF 2-6. In people suffering from this condition, the normally thin and pliable lung tissue becomes increasingly thick and scarred over time. As the scar tissue prevents oxygen from moving properly into the bloodstream7, the disease leads to a progressive decline in lung function.
As a result, the brain and other organs do not receive enough oxygen, which initially leads to symptoms such as shortness of breath and chronic cough and eventually to respiratory failure and death8. IPF has no cure yet and is difficult to diagnose. Rapid deterioration in some patients means that many people only live 2 to 5 years after diagnosis9 (without treatment).
