Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) Treatments
At the University of Pittsburgh Simmons Center for Interstitial Lung Disease at UPMC, a multidisciplinary team of experts offers people with IPF the full capabilities of UPMC.
Patients are invited for an evaluation and ongoing management of their diseases in conjunction with their local doctors. Researchers and clinicians collaborate to translate basic research on interstitial lung disease into new treatments that may save lives.
The IPF treatment team
The Simmons Center's multidisciplinary team includes:
- pulmonary physicians — who are experts in the management of IPF
- cardiologists — who evaluate the involvement of the heart and pulmonary vessels
- rheumatologists — who assess the immune system
- pathologists — who evaluate the biopsies
- chest radiology experts — who evaluate imaging results
- rehabilitation and quality-of-life experts — who optimize supportive therapy and assess the psychological impact of IPF
- transplant surgeons
- leaders in clinical research — who provide access to novel IPF therapies
The team will re-evaluate the diagnosis and assess treatment strategies once the diagnosis is confirmed.
Treatment options for IPF
At present, there are no approved drug therapies for IPF, but patients may benefit from:
Lung transplantation is the only effective therapy to treat IPF and is considered in the management of most patients.
The UPMC Lung Transplantation Program is nationally renowned. Our experts have performed more than 1,400 lung transplants since the program’s inception.
Doctors at the Simmons Center work closely with members of the Lung Transplant Program to refer patients for evaluation, when the time is right.
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