Thank you for making #Breathtember matter

Last month, we marked #Breathtember – World Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month.

A huge THANK YOU for making it such a powerful campaign! Whether you took on a challenge, shared our message or supported in other ways, you helped bring much-needed attention to Pulmonary Fibrosis and the work we do at Breathing Matters. We are dedicated to finding a cure and improving treatment for this life-threatening disease – and it is your generosity and support that keep us moving forward.

On each day of #Breathtember, we posted a fact about Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis – here’s the full list:

• You can’t reverse the scarring from IPF. Read more about pulmonary fibrosis.
• Most patients with IPF survive between 3 to 5 years. Only 20 to 25% of patients with IPF will live beyond 10 years.
• Symptoms of IPF are similar to asthma, COPD and congestive heart failure and are hard to diagnose.
• IPF can affect people of all ages, but around 85% are in people over the age of 70.
• 60% of patients have symptoms for a year before they are diagnosed with IPF – get it checked out!
• Currently, lung transplantation is the only cure for IPF, but this is not a realistic option for the majority of sufferers and the only way forward is researching better treatments.
• Pulmonary Fibrosis can be genetic: genes can play a significant role, especially in cases of familial pulmonary fibrosis. Understanding these genetic links can help patients and their families make informed health decisions.
• Oxygen therapy can make daily activities easier for Pulmonary Fibrosis patients by ensuring adequate oxygen reaches the bloodstream. Discover how this life-changing treatment works.
• IPF mainly affects older people, and deaths are 60% more common in men.
• Not all autoimmune diseases cause lung scarring, but many with connective tissue disease develop pulmonary fibrosis. Learn more on the causes of pulmonary fibrosis. 
• Environmental factors (particularly certain types of dust) may play a role in Pulmonary Fibrosis.
• Before treatments were found through research, only 1 in 5 patients with IPF survived more than 5 years.
• In the 1990s, there were 2,500 new cases of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis per year in the UK; in 2020, there were 6,000 new cases in the UK.
• IPF is thought to be a problem of wound healing. Platelets are the sticky cells that help your blood clot but also help wounds to heal in other ways. Read our article.
• There are 5,000 deaths every year in the UK from Pulmonary Fibrosis.
• A timely diagnosis of IPF or progressive fibrosing ILD reduces unnecessary investigations and could improve outcomes through starting treatment early. Read more here.
• People with PF can’t control their coughing fits – sufferers can cough up to 520 times a day, which can be more than the average COVID, COPD or asthma patient.
• 1% of every UK death is from Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. More people die from IPF than leukaemia each year in the UK.
• Pulmonary Fibrosis is not contagious!
• Whilst IPF lacks a known cause, did you know that exposure to cigarette smoking, stone, metal, wood and organic dusts could be a risk factor?
• Currently, the only way of surviving an IPF diagnosis is a lung transplant, of which fewer than 200 are available each year.
• Persistent dry cough or shortness of breath during activity could be early signs of pulmonary fibrosis. Early diagnosis = better outcomes. Learn more here.
• Pulmonary Fibrosis causes progressive damage of the lungs which leads to scarring of the gas exchange surface area, hindering breathing.
• Pulmonary Fibrosis is terminal, with a worse outcome than most cancers. It involves scarring on the lungs and the main symptoms are coughing and breathlessness.
• Around 5% of patients with IPF have another family member with the condition. Read more info on genetics in PF here.
• IPF kills more in UK than more well-known diseases such as leukaemia, stomach cancer and skin cancer.
• In advanced pulmonary fibrosis, oxygen therapy becomes vital. Severe symptoms require more than treatment: they need comprehensive care. Manage symptoms effectively.
• This is what #Breathtember is all about – have a look at these facts.
• This is the research we do at UCL/H on Pulmonary Fibrosis: www.breathingmatters.co.uk/research

 

Thank you for donating so generously during #Breathtember to support our 2026 research projects in Pulmonary Fibrosis.  

Every contribution brings us one step closer to better treatments and, ultimately, a cure. Together, we can breathe hope into the future.

If you would like to help fund our research, you can donate here: https://bit.ly/3D86cwy