A patient advocacy group that focuses on drawing attention toward a potentially fatal lung disease has formed a new partnership aimed at raising funds for research.
The Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis announced in mid-June that it plans to collaborate with two nationally recognized medical centers in the fundraising drive. Two events being planned for October are the key centerpieces of this drive.
Raising Funds for IPF Research
The B.I.G. (Breathing is Glorious!) Ball is scheduled to be held October 21 at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago. The fundraiser will benefit the University of Chicago. That same weekend, a fundraiser will be hosted at a private beach club in Santa Monica, California to benefit the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Proceeds from these two fundraisers will also benefit the education, awareness, advocacy, and support services offered by the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis.
"We are pleased to partner with the University of Chicago and UCLA—medical centers who clearly share our mission of unifying efforts to help all those affected by IPF [idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis]," said Mark Shreve, chief executive officer of the coalition, in a statement. "This is a unique opportunity to raise funds to benefit these highly regarded IPF treatment and research centers, while also supporting the programs and services of the CPF."
Lung Scarring Pathology
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a form of interstitial lung disease (ILD) with no known cause. In people with the disease, lung tissue is damaged and the walls of the lungs' air sacs become inflamed. Scarring (fibrosis) begins in the interstitium—the tissue that lies between the air sacs. This stiffens the lungs and makes it harder to breathe.
One of the first symptoms of the ailment can be breathlessness during exercise, as well as a dry cough.
While there is no known cause of IPF, medical experts have several theories that they've postulated; some possible causes include a viral illness, or allergic or environmental exposure, including tobacco smoke. So far, those hypotheses haven't been confirmed.
Known causes of lung fibrosis include certain occupational and environmental exposures, a disease known as sarcoidosis (sar-koy-DOH-sis), certain medications, radiation exposure during cancer treatment, certain connective tissue or collagen diseases, or an inherited factor.1
Treatment may include corticosteroids to reduce the inflammation associated with the disease. But the success of this therapy is still being studied. Other medications may be prescribed in cases in which corticosteroids don't appear to be working.1
While IPF and pulmonary hypertension (PH) are two distinct illnesses, PH can emerge in people with lung fibrosis, creating potential complications.2
Upcoming Events: 'Critical Source of Funding'
According to the coalition, though IPF is three times more common than cystic fibrosis, it is often misdiagnosed and receives a minute proportion of research funding.
Both UCLA and the University of Chicago's division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine are premier IPF research and treatment centers. "These events are a critical source of funding to continue the important research that we do at UCLA," said Robert Strieter, MD, chief of the Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine division at the university, and a professor of Medicine.
Added Imre Noth, MD, co-director of the Respiratory Clinical Research Group at the University of Chicago: "Funding for research into novel therapeutic approaches to treat—and hopefully cure—IPF is desperately needed. It is important to get everyone in this effort."
1. American Lung Association. Interstitial Lung Disease and Pulmonary Fibrosis. Available at: http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=35436#idiopathic. Accessed June 23, 2005.
2. Ghofrani HA, Wiedemann R, Rose F et al. Sildenafil for treatment of lung fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension: a randomized controlled trial. Lancet 2002 Sep 21;360(9337):895-900.
John Martin is a long-time health journalist and an editor for Priority Healthcare. His credits include overseeing health news coverage for the website of Fox Television's The Health Network, and articles for the New York Post and other consumer and trade publications.
