Learn more about what research is and why it is so important for our pulmonary fibrosis community.
What is pulmonary fibrosis research?
Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) research asks questions that can improve our understanding of the disease and make progress towards faster diagnosis, new and better treatments, symptom control, and improved services and care. To do this, researchers need to gather the answers to lots of different questions. These often involve answering when, where, what, why and how questions, such as:
- What causes PF?
- When do people develop PF?
- Why does PF progress more quickly in some people than others?
- How can we help people to better manage their symptoms?
- How can we stop PF?
Why is research important?
Without research, many diseases such as smallpox or polio would not be preventable through vaccination, and treatments for other conditions would not exist. All currently prescribed treatments for PF, such as antifibrotic medications, are available because someone like you took part in research to understand that these were safe an effective.
Many questions about PF are still unanswered and it is vital that we find out new information to help inform better care for people affected by the disease. Understanding why PF develops and finding new treatments is vital if we are to find out how we can stop fibrosis. Research also helps to identify areas where PF most impacts quality of life, and test ways to better manage symptoms, such as cough. We still don’t know all the answers to the questions, and the only way to see things change is to support researchers and get involved.
Do you still have questions about research news or results?
Take a look at How to be a wise consumer of pulmonary fibrosis research information?
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