Pulmonary function trajectories similar between treated, untreated patients with unclassifiable ILD

Regardless of treatment, patients with unclassifiable Interstitial lung disease (ILD) had parallel pulmonary function trajectories, although treated patients had more severe disease at baseline, according to a study.

Pulmonary function data were collected from 249 patients with unclassifiable ILD. Overall, 65% received treatment with corticosteroids and/or other immunomodulators.
Patients who were treated had lower forced vital capacity and diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide. There was no significant difference between treated and untreated patients in pulmonary function decline.
“The persisting differences between the groups suggest no overall effect, although improvement or stabilization may be seen in some patients. Prospective studies are needed to define subsets of patients with unclassifiable interstitial lung disease and their optimal management,” the authors concluded.

Reference
Hyldgaard C, Torrisi S, Kronborg Brix-White S, et al. Immunomodulatory treatment in unclassifiable interstitial lung disease: A retrospective study of treatment response. Respirology. 2022;doi: 10.1111/resp.14409. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36372786.