According to a story on medicaldialogues.in, a recent study has determined that antifibrotic treatment can reduce the rate of mortality and acute exacerbations in people living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a rare lung disease. This study was published in the scientific journal Chest. Antifibrotic medications commonly used in treating this illness include pirfenidone and nintedanib. You can check out the abstract for this study here.
About Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF)
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a deadly, chronic, progressive lung disease which is characterized by lung tissue scarring, leading to a decline in lung function over time. The cause of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is unknown. With that being said, there are a few risk factors that have been identified, such as smoking cigarettes, exposure to various dusts (metal, wood, stone, and coal dust), occupations related to farming, family history, and potentially certain viral infections. Symptoms include shortness of breath, a dry cough, a distinctive crackling sound detected with a stethoscope, oxygen deficiency in the blood, and clubbed digits. There are few treatment options that can have a significant impact on the progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Treatment may include certain medications, pulmonary rehabilitation, oxygen therapy, and lung transplant. Early intervention can make a major difference in outcomes; five year survival rate is between 20 and 40 percent. To learn more about idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, click here.
About The Study
While antifibrotics are effective because they can slow disease progression, data about their impacts on mortality or acute exacerbations specifically is much more limited. This study evaluated data drawn from multiple databases and ultimately included information from 26 studies in total, which encompassed a total of 12,956 patients.
This meta-analysis confirmed that the use of antifibrotics reduced the risk of mortality with a pooled RR 0.55 (95% CI, 0.45-0.66) and I2 of 82%. This effect was present among all subgroups. The risk of acute exacerbations was also reduced with a pooled RR of 0.63 (95% CI, 0.53-0.76), and I2 of 0%. With nintedanib, this was consistent across all subgroups, but it was not consistent for patients using pirfenidone.
The findings from this study help confirm the beneficial impacts of antifibrotic therapy on exacerbations and mortality in people living with this rare disease. Treatment is most effective when started as early as possible in the disease course.
