Due to work in a hair salon: Israeli singer admits to his illness

Israeli singer Yehuda Poliker revealed that he was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis a year ago. The 75-year-old musician sleeps with an oxygen machine but continues to perform. A pulmonologist explains the causes, symptoms, and treatments of the disease, emphasizing the importance of early diagnosis.

Israeli singer Yehuda Poliker, 75, revealed that he was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis a year ago. He sleeps with an oxygen machine at night and takes medication to slow the disease, but continues to perform. Poliker links the illness to living in a polluted area of Haifa, years of working with chemicals in a hair salon, and smoking. Dr. Avraham Unterman, a pulmonologist at Ichilov Hospital, explains that fibrosis is an irreversible scarring of lung tissue that impairs oxygen transfer. Symptoms include shortness of breath and a dry cough, which are often mistakenly attributed to age. The disease is more common in people over 60, especially with genetic predisposition or exposure to harmful substances. Early diagnosis is critical, as average survival after progression is about 3.7 years. The article emphasizes the need for examination when experiencing shortness of breath and informs about new treatments.