The chest x ray of a patient suffering from fibrosis pulmonary will reveal the presence of excessive fibrous connective tissue in the lungs. The clinician will describe it as scarring of the lungs that is associated with various symptoms like shortness of breath that is aggravated with physical exertion and stress. In certain cases the patient may also be suffering from chronic and dry hacking cough.
Thus, due to lack of adequate oxygen supply in the body the patient suffering from fibrosis pulmonary, will be complaining about excessive fatigue and weakness. There will be chest discomfort and loss of appetite leading to unexplained loss of weight. Fine inspiratory crackles can also be heard at the base of the lung during asculation process.
Some of the common causes of fibrosis pulmonary disease are exposure to environmental pollutants. It has been found that a large number of coal miners who may be exposed to certain gases show signs of shortness of breath and suffer from fibrosis pulmonary. Sand blasters who are continuously exposed to asbestos are at high risk for this lung disease. There are many cases of hypersensitivity pneumonitis where the patient develops a sensitivity to dust inhalation that includes various animal, bacterial and fungal materials.