One of the greatest forró composers in the country, singer Rita de Cássia died this Wednesday (1/3), victim of pulmonary fibrosis.
According to the Brazilian Society of Pulmonology and Phthisiology (SBPT), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a non-infectious chronic disease of unknown cause that is limited to the lungs. In the patient with the condition, the healthy tissue of the organ is being replaced by fibrosis (scars), reducing the capacity for gas exchange.
In most cases, the evolution is slow and progressive, but always fatal — on average, the patient survives from two to four years after diagnosis.
Pulmonary fibrosis occurs primarily in men over age 60 who are or have been smokers. The main symptoms are shortness of breath and a dry cough that get worse over a six-month window.
“Individuals may have drumstick fingers (enlargement of the fingertip and loss of the normal angle between the skin and the nail) and, over time, there may be a reduction in oxygenation, with a bluish coloration of the extremities”, according to the SBPT .
Rita de Cassia Social Networks/Reproduction
Rita of Cássia 2Singer dies aged 50reproduction
Rita of Cássia 4She is considered the greatest Brazilian composer of forróreproduction
Rita of Cássia 3There were more than 500 songsreproduction
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Diagnosis
The diagnosis is made by analyzing pulmonary function tests and computed tomography, with an exercise test and analysis of the patient’s clinical history. In some cases, a lung biopsy is needed to determine the cause of the symptoms.
There is no effective treatment to cure pulmonary fibrosis so far. Some new drugs manage to slow the progression of the disease, but they have serious side effects and the impact on the patient’s life span is still unclear. According to the SBPT, some patients need to use supplemental oxygen and lung transplantation may be indicated.
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