Abstract
Background: New eHealth technologies allow for frequent measuring of lung function and activity at home. We aimed to assess whether there is a diurnal variation in forced vital capacity (FVC) in patients with fibrotic interstitial lung disease (fILD) using home spirometry. Furthermore, we evaluated the relation between activity and FVC. Methods: Outpatients with fILD of the Erasmus MC were included to use a home monitoring app for 6 weeks. Patients used an activity tracker and measured FVC twice daily with a handheld spirometer; in the morning (FVC-m) and afternoon (FVC-a). Steps were continuously counted in blocks of 15 minutes to assess activity just before FVC measurement. Differences between morning and afternoon were evaluated with linear mixed models. This study aims to include a total of 50 patients. Results: Preliminary data of the first 16 patients included a total of 1136 FVC measurements. Mean age was 70 years (range 44-79) and mean FVC 2.71L (1.42-5.1). FVC-m was significantly higher than FVC-a (difference 57 mL, SD 0.19, p Conclusion: There appears to be a diurnal variation in FVC, measured with home spirometry in patients with fILD. No relation between activity and FVC measurement was found. These data have consequences for future trial design, as well as monitoring in clinical practice.
Published Version
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