Types of Fibrosis

Oct 17, 2018

The term fibrosis refers to the formation of fibrous tissue that may or may not be associated with tissue healing.

Some of the different types of fibrosis include the following:

Lung fibrosis or pulmonary fibrosis

Pulmonary fibrosis may occur as a result of long standing infections such as tuberculosisor pneumonia. The condition can also be caused by exposure to occupational hazards such as coal dust or the genetic condition cystic fibrosis.

Liver fibrosis

Cirrhosis refers to the scar tissue and nodules that replace liver tissue and disrupt liver function. The condition is usually caused by alcoholism, fatty liver disease, hepatitis B or hepatitis C.

Heart fibrosis

Areas of the heart that have become damaged due to myocardial infarction may undergo fibrosis.

Mediastinal fibrosis

This form of fibrosis is characterized by calcified fibrosis of the lymph nodes, which can block respiratory channels and blood vessels.

Retroperitoneal cavity fibrosis

This refers to fibrosis of the soft tissue in the retroperitoneum, which contains the aorta, kidneys and numerous other structures.

Bone marrow fibrosis

Myelofibrosis is scarring in the bone marrow that prevents the normal production of blood cells in the bone marrow.

Skin fibrosis

Scar tissue that forms on the skin in response to injury is referred to as a keloid.

Scleroderma or systemic sclerosis

Scleroderma is an autoimmune disease of the connective tissue that primarily affects the skin but can also involve other organs such as the kidneys, heart and lungs.

Fibrosis effects

Some examples of the effects fibrosis can have on the body are given below:

Fibrosis of the joints may lead to stiffness and pain in the knees, wrists and hips
Fibrosis of the tendons may lead to conditions such as Dupuytren's contracture, which can cause deformity of the hands and fingers
The shoulder capsule may be affected leading to adhesive capsulitis and frozen shoulder
Fibrosis that involves the soft tissue of the penis is referred to as Peyronie's disease

Type	Most common location(s)	Circumscription	Cellularity	Vascularity and nature of vessels	Appearance of collagen	Elastic fibers
Nuchal fibroma	Nuchal region	No	Very low	Very low	Bundles of fibers	Scant
Collagenous fibroma	Shoulder girdle, extremities	Yes, by macroscopic appearance, but microscopically infiltrative	Increased but generally low	Low	Scant or absent	Amorphous
Fibroma of tendon sheath	Distal extremities, especially the hand	Yes	Low to high	Moderate to high, with some slitlike vessels	Amorphous	Absent
Scar	Variable	Variable	Low to high	Variable	Amorphous	Scant to absent
Elastofibroma	Subscapular chest wall	No	Low to moderate	Low	Amorphous	Abundant and abnormal
Desmoid-type fibromatosis	Abdominal wall, shoulder girdle	Yes, by macroscopic appearance, but microscopically infiltrative	Moderate	Moderate, mildly dilated	Amorphous	Absent
Keloid	Upper part of back, deltoid, presternal, ear lobes	No	Some fibroblasts	Low	Amorphous thick eosinophilic bundles	Scant or Absent