Fibrosis

Fibrosis is the formation of excess fibrous connective tissue in an organ or tissue in a reparative or reactive process. This is as opposed to formation of fibrous tissue as a normal constituent of an organ or tissue. Scarring is confluent fibrosis that obliterates the architecture of the underlying organ or tissue.

The term is also sometimes used to describe a normal healing process, but this usage is less common.

Examples of fibrosis

 * Pulmonary fibrosis (lungs)
 * Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (where the cause is unknown)
 * Cystic fibrosis
 * Cirrhosis (liver)
 * Endomyocardial fibrosis (heart)
 * Mediastinal fibrosis (soft tissue of the mediastinum)
 * Myelofibrosis (bone marrow)
 * Retroperitoneal fibrosis (soft tissue of the retroperitoneum)
 * Progressive massive fibrosis (lungs); a complication of coal workers' pneumoconiosis
 * Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (skin)
 * Crohn's Disease (intestine)
 * Keloid (skin)
 * Old myocardial infarction (heart)
 * Scleroderma/systemic sclerosis (skin, lungs)
 * Arthrofibrosis (knee, shoulder, other joints)
 * Some forms of adhesive capsulitis (shoulder)