What Is Fibrosis?
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Fibrosis is a term that refers to the hardening, overgrowth or scarring of tissues. It can occur in numerous areas throughout the body. The condition is the result of persistent inflammation due to infections, autoimmune reactions, chemical intrusions, radiation exposure, allergen responses and tissue damage.
The healthy tissue is replaced or covered with extracellular material such as collagen or proteins. Most of the current treatments for fibrosis diseases treat the inflammation that contributes to the condition. However, there is some indication that this inflammation is actually a necessary process to reverse fibrosis once it is established and to prevent disease progression.1Wynn, T.A. “Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Fibrosis.” Journal of Pathology vol. 214, 2 (2008): 199-210. doi: 1002/path.2277
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1. What Are the Types of Fibrosis?
The kind of fibrosis is determined by where in the body it occurs. There are uncommon and common forms of the disorder. Some of the less common types include skin fibrosis, scleroderma, bone marrow fibrosis, mediastinal — or lymph node — fibrosis and retroperitoneal cavity fibrosis.
There are three locations in which fibrosis occurrence is found more frequently than those previously listed. Pulmonary fibrosis is the most common of the three. Fibrosis that develops in the liver is called cirrhosis. The last of these common types is cardiac fibrosis.
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