The life expectancy for pulmonary fibrosis is very variable and depends on many factors.
Firstly the type and cause of pulmonary fibrosis is very important. Pulmonary fibrosis can be caused by various external triggers such as certain medications or allergic reactions to pollutants in the air. In this case often removing the trigger (e.g the medication) can scares the pulmonary fibrosis to stop or even reverse.
On the other hand, so called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (where there is no known trigger) is a more progressive disease with a poorer prognosis. In this case the life expectancy depends on the individual and you should speak to your healthcare professional.
Stopping smoking is one of the best things someone with pulmonary fibrosis can do – smoking causes further irreversible damage to the lung and can reduce life expectancy.
