When celebrities are diagnosed, the headlines in the tabloid media quickly dramatically. However, in the case of the Norwegian Princess Mette-Marit, the wife of the heir to the throne Prince Haakon, is the Situation really serious and life-threatening. The 45-Year-old suffers from pulmonary fibrosis. FOCUS Online explains the incurable disease.
“Worse than cancer” called the lung specialist doctors and FOCUS-Online expert Oliver Eickelberg, and Jürgen Behr, the insidious disease. Because pulmonary fibrosis is incurable and, in many cases already after a short time fatal.
Now, the Norwegian Princess Mette is ill-Marit. The Norwegians very popular Princess was in the last couple of years, ill, as early as 2015, and 2016 was repeated lung the speech inflammation. So now, a diagnosis that is even worse than feared.
What is pulmonary fibrosis?
There are various forms of the lung disease, the most common is the idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). In Europe, there are approximately 35,000 people are diagnosed every year, 6,000 patients die every year in Germany – and the trend is rising.
In the case of a fibrosis of the originally soft and elastic lung tissue becomes hard and stiff, because the connective tissue between the alveoli is increasingly, and increasingly scarred. The lungs can absorb less oxygen and also the body with less oxygen supply.
The deterioration progresses, often rapidly. The life expectancy is, in many cases, only one to two years. Half of the patients three years after diagnosis dead.
What are the symptoms?
At the beginning of cough indicates that more and more non-specific to a disorder in the lungs. Later the Breathing is getting heavier, the physical capacity is waning.
How to draw the disease?
The causes are largely unexplored. Smoking, dust exposure and familial predisposition increase the risk. Often, the fibrosis disease is the result of a number of prior lung.
In the case of Mette-Marit, the physicians of a car can go from immune disease: the body’s own defence cells attack healthy tissue. This could also explain that she is a mid 40’s very much younger than the average Patient. Most of the diseases are diagnosed with 65 to 70 years.
How can you diagnose a pulmonary fibrosis?
A chest CT make the scarring visible. A lung function test can determine the extent of the impairment.
What therapy is available?
A scarring of the lungs is irreversible. Only the Sympome can be treated. So doctors will do everything to have the fibrosis to stop or slow down at least. This is achieved with the two newer drugs that slow the progression of the disease significantly (Pirfenidone and Nintedanib).
In addition, the Doctors will do everything they can to relieve the lungs. This also includes oxygen, gave and breathing exercises. In the case of an autoimmune disease as the cause of medicines are also used, which was intended to curb the excessive end of the immune system.
In the terminal stage of the disease you can only relieve the strong shortness of breath and associated anxiety, also with opiates.
As in the case of Princess Mette-Marit was diagnosed with the fibrosis at an early stage, the chances are good to be able to deterioration the long delay.
There is a rescue?
Life-saving is only a lung transplant. At the Moment, the state of Mette-Marit, however, is not yet so serious that it comes for the intervention in question. With a new pulmonary fibrosis-Patient has a good chance at a normal and healthy life.