Fibrosis is the formation of scar tissue due to injury or
long-term inflammation. There are two main types of fibrosis:

Pulmonary Fibrosis – Pulmonary Fibrosis involves
the overgrowth, hardening, and/or scarring of lung tissue due
to excess collagen. The most common variation of this disease
is Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, which is lung fibrosis
from unknown causes. Common symptoms include shortness
of breath, a chronic dry cough, fatigue, weakness, chest
discomfort, loss of appetite, and rapid weight loss. It usually
affects people between the ages of 40 and 70, and men and
women are equally affected. The prognosis for patients with
this disease is poor, and are usually only expected to live an
average of 4 to 6 years after diagnosis.

Cystic Fibrosis - Cystic Fibrosis is a chronic,
progressive, and often fatal genetic disease of the body's
mucus glands. Symptoms sometimes include abnormal
heart rhythms, malnutrition, poor growth, frequent respiratory
infections, and breathing difficulties. Cystic Fibrosis can also
cause other medical problems including sinusitis, nasal
polyps, hemoptysis (coughing of blood), abdominal pain
and discomfort, gassiness, and rectal prolapse. It primarily
affects the respiratory and digestive systems in children
and young adults. The symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis are
often apparent at birth or shortly thereafter; rarely do
the signs wait until adolescence to show up. It is most
commonly found in Caucasians, and the prognosis is
moderate, with many patients living up to 30 years after
diagnosis. Although this form of fibrosis was once
characterized by death in childhood, doctors now view
it as a chronic illness, with the majority of patients living
to adulthood. However, there is still no cure, and most
patients eventually succumb to lung failure or other
infections of the respiratory tract.

While there is no effective treatment currenlty available
for fibrosis, there are many drugs being tested
all the time, so perhaps the cure is not far away