Abstract
Objective:The literature on interstitial lung diseases is limited. The aim of this research was to make this entity of diseases more understandable to clinicians and general population of the region of Pakistan.Methods:We conducted a cross-sectional study on 253 Pakistani subjects who are a part of the hospital-based registry of JPMC. We performed statistical analyses on SPSS version 22.0. We included patients above 15 years of age who exhibited clinical clues and radiological signs of ILD during March 2016 through February 2018 and excluded those who were on tuberculosis treatment, suspected to be suffering from post-infection bronchiectasis, expectant females or had failed to follow-up.Results:There was a 2:3 male to female ratio. Mean age was 49.0±13.2 years. Majority were non-smokers. Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) was the commonest ILD (38.8%) followed by Non-Specific Interstitial Pneumonitis (NSIP) (15.1%). Most patients presented with dyspnea and dry cough and about half were clubbed (47.3%). Substantial IPF cases (52.6%) were suffering from GERD symptoms.Conclusion:IPF and NSIP were the major ILDs, GERD was the only predictor of IPF. This entity of lung diseases needs to be explored further to identify patterns of presentation and to make diagnosis at a manageable stage.
Highlights
Interstitial lung disease (ILD) or diffuse parenchymal lung disease is characterized by inflammatory or fibrotic condition of the interstitium of lungs
Epidemiologic studies and archive reports on diagnoses of ILD have often been dependent on International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 9th edition codes, chronological databases, or diagnosis by a single physician that exhibited variable accuracy.[2,3,4]
Pneumonitis (UIP) was the most-common high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) pattern exhibited by the disease (48.4%)
Summary
Interstitial lung disease (ILD) or diffuse parenchymal lung disease is characterized by inflammatory or fibrotic condition of the interstitium of lungs. The most common ILDs are idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP), sarcoidosis, ILD as a part of connective tissue disease (CTD), drug-induced ILD and pneumoconiosis.[5,6,7] The majority of ILDs is idiopathic and includes the group of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias. In Pakistan, ILDs are among the leading causes of mortality i.e. 4.75%, while 14.56% die due to pneumonia influenza.[8] The most common ILD, IPF, has a poor prognosis with median survival of 2-3 years from diagnosis[9]; for other forms of ILDs, prognosis depends on the underlying and/or accompanying disease(s) but may be poor
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
