Liver—Viral hepatitis, schistosomiasis, and alcoholism are leading causes of cirrhosis worldwide.
Lung—The interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) include a diverse set of disorders in which pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis are the final common pathological manifestations. There are more than 150 different causes of ILDs, including sarcoidosis, silicosis, drug reactions and infections, as well as collagen vascular diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic sclerosis (scleroderma). Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, the most common type of ILD, has no known cause
Kidney disease—Diabetes damages and scars the kidneys, which can lead to a progressive loss of function. Untreated hypertension can contribute
Heart and vascular disease—Following a heart attack, scar tissue can impair the ability of the heart to pump blood. Hypertension, atherosclerosis and restenosis also contribute
Eye—Macular degeneration, retinal and vitreal retinopathy can lead to blindness
Skin—Including keloids and hypertrophic scars. Systemic sclerosis and scleroderma, burns and genetic factors may also contribute
Pancreas—Poorly understood but possible autoimmune/hereditary causes
Intestine—Crohn’s disease/inflammatory bowel disease. Pathogenic orgnanisms
Brain—Alzheimer’s disease, AIDS
Bone marrow—Cancer and ageing
Multi-organ fibrosis—(a) Due to surgical complications; scar tissue can form between internal organs, causing contracture, pain and, in some cases, infertility; (b) chemotherapeutic drug-induced fibrosis; (c) radiation-induced fibrosis as a result of cancer therapy/accidental exposure; (d) mechanical injuries
