What are the symptoms before death in late stage pulmonary fibrosis

Generally speaking, pulmonary fibrosis is more common in smokers and drinkers. This disease basically causes difficulty breathing. Once this type of disease occurs, the patient should take it seriously. If pulmonary fibrosis develops to the late stage, the symptoms will be more painful. Not only will breathing become difficult, but all kinds of physical indicators will also decline.

1. Progressive dyspnea is the characteristic of this disease. Patients feel a lack of air and difficulty breathing, which becomes more obvious as respiratory failure worsens. It manifests itself in changes in respiratory rate, rhythm and amplitude. Central respiratory failure presents as tidal intermittent or gasping breathing. Inspiratory dyspnea caused by laryngeal or airway lesions may cause the three-recess sign. When accompanied by respiratory muscle fatigue, it may manifest as contradictory breathing in the chest and abdomen.

2. Irritating dry cough or accompanied by a small amount of sticky sputum.

3. Cyanosis is a typical sign of hypoxia. When the reduced hemoglobin in arterial blood is 1.5% and the blood oxygen saturation is lower than 85%, cyanosis may appear on the lips and nails. Cyanosis is not obvious or does not occur in patients with anemia.

4. Fatigue, low fever, weight loss and clubbing of fingers in some patients.

5. During the physical examination, end-inspiratory crackles were heard at the lung base, the jugular veins were distended, and the liver and spleen were enlarged.

6. Psychoneural symptoms: Acute hypoxia may cause mental confusion, mania, coma, convulsions and other symptoms. Chronic hypoxia often causes intellectual or orientation disorders. Severe hypercapnia may cause weakened or absent tendon reflexes.

7. Symptoms of the blood circulation system: severe hypoxia and hypercapnia can accelerate the heart rate, increase cardiac output, and raise blood pressure. Due to severe hypoxia, acidosis causes myocardial damage, resulting in peripheral circulatory failure, decreased blood pressure, arrhythmia, and cardiac arrest.

8. Digestive and urinary system symptoms. Severe respiratory failure can significantly affect liver and kidney function, manifested as less urination, and the presence of protein, red blood cells and casts in the urine. Severe hypoxia and hypercapnia can lead to upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

The above is a detailed description of the symptoms of late-stage pulmonary fibrosis. In fact, pulmonary fibrosis does not have a serious impact when it first occurs, but if it lasts for a long time and the symptoms are not well controlled, it will threaten our life safety. Respiratory failure and heart failure are all derived from pulmonary fibrosis. I hope you can take this disease seriously for your own health.