If you have symptoms like an ongoing cough, breathlessness or fatigue, it's important to speak to your GP. If pulmonary fibrosis is a possibility, they can refer you for specialist tests. Getting the right diagnosis helps you access the treatment, care and support that's right for you.
Dr Matt Swallow, GP and Clinical Lead at Asthma + Lung UK.
Seeing your GP
See your GP if you have any signs and symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis. It’s important to diagnose pulmonary fibrosis as soon as possible, so you can get the right care and support, and talk about treatment options.
Your GP may ask about your medical history, including any family history of lung disease. They may ask about your work and hobbies to see if you’ve been exposed to dusts. They’ll also ask about symptoms like coughing, or feeling breathless when doing daily activities.
Your GP may:
- listen to your chest using a stethoscope - they may hear a crackling sound that sounds like pulling Velcro apart
- do a lung function test, usually spirometry, to see how well your lungs are working
- arrange blood tests to help rule out other conditions
- check your fingers and fingertips. One sign of pulmonary fibrosis can be changes to the ends of your fingers, known as finger clubbing.
If your GP thinks you may have pulmonary fibrosis, they’ll refer you to a team of respiratory specialists. The specialist team will do tests to help confirm a diagnosis.
Diagnosing pulmonary fibrosis can sometimes take time because:
- symptoms like breathlessness, cough or fatigue (extreme tiredness) can come on gradually
- healthcare professionals will need to rule out other conditions with similar symptoms, like asthma and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), or being physically unfit or very overweight.
- a specialist multidisciplinary team including respiratory specialists, radiologists and other healthcare professionals needs time to carefully review and discuss all your test results to make sure that they are giving you the correct diagnosis.
Keeping healthy while you wait for a diagnosis
While you’re waiting for a diagnosis, try to stay as healthy and as well as you can.
Doing your best to keep active and eat well and to stay at a healthy weight can help with managing symptoms.
We know it’s not always easy, but we have lots of advice and support for you if you’ve just been diagnosed or are waiting for a diagnosis to be confirmed.
What tests are used to diagnose pulmonary fibrosis?
| Tests used | Why do I need this test? |
|---|---|
| Blood tests | Blood tests can help rule out other conditions or infections. |
| Lung function tests, like spirometry | Lung function tests can show how well your lungs are working. The specialist team can also check your lung function at your pulmonary fibrosis review, to see if there are any changes. You may also be offered a gas transfer test . This shows how well your lungs move oxygen into your blood. |
| Chest X-ray | This is to check for patches or patterns on the lungs that could suggest scarring. A chest X-ray is not enough to diagnose pulmonary fibrosis and a high-resolution CT scan is usually needed too. |
| High-resolution CT scan | This test gives detailed images of your lungs. The results can show different patterns that make diagnosing pulmonary fibrosis easier. |
| Biopsy | A biopsy involves taking a small sample of lung tissue to see what might be causing your lung condition symptoms, or to confirm a diagnosis. You may have a bronchoscopy biopsy, or a surgical biopsy. But biopsies are not needed for everyone, only if test results are still uncertain. |
What happens after my pulmonary fibrosis diagnosis?
It can be a shock to be diagnosed with a long-term lung condition, especially if you’ve been told you have a type of pulmonary fibrosis that is progressive.
Your specialist team can answer any questions you may have, give expert advice about your symptoms and treatments, and help you find ways to manage your condition.
They can talk to you about any worries and fears you may have such as how quickly your condition may progress, and how to manage worsening symptoms. They can also talk about future planning and life expectancy.
Regular reviews can help you and your specialist team see how your condition is changing over time, and if your treatment or care needs to be changed.
Palliative care
You may also have support from a palliative care team.
Palliative care is not only about end-of-life care. It focuses on helping people live as well as possible. This may include advice about managing symptoms, treatments and side effects, as well as emotional support and future care planning.
Find out more about how pulmonary fibrosis is treated.
More support and resources
Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis has a free information booklet for people just diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. It has lots of advice including questions to ask your healthcare professional, coming to terms with your diagnosis, and how to tell friends and family about your condition.
How we develop our health information
About our health information
All our information is reviewed and updated by Asthma + Lung UK’s experienced Health Advice Team. People living with lung conditions, qualified healthcare professionals and specialists also review our content.
This information has been clinically reviewed and approved by Asthma + Lung UK’s Clinical Leads, Dr Matthew Swallow, a practising GP, and Nazir Hussain, a specialist pharmacist, who both share a passion for improving respiratory care.
Our information is based on the latest, trustworthy evidence and guidelines. Below is a sample list of the sources referenced in our pulmonary fibrosis (How is pulmonary fibrosis diagnosed?) information.
- NICE Quality Standard, QS79, Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in adults, Quality statement 2, Published January 2025
- European Lung Foundation, Pulmonary fibrosis, a supportive guide, September 2023
- NHS, Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, October 2022
- NICE, Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in adults; diagnosis and management, clinical guideline, last updated May 2017
If you'd like a full list of the sources we've used to produce our health information, you can email us at healthadvicequeries@asthmaandlung.org.uk.
Get support
Call or email our helpline for support with any aspect of living with a lung condition – whether you need practical advice, emotional support, or answers to health-related questions. You can also find support through our groups.
