Standardized ILD diagnostic criteria needed to improve consistency of diagnosis

Heterogeneity in the reported incidence of various interstitial lung disease (ILD)

subtypes, indicates the complex nature of ILD diagnosis and classification, underscoring the challenges faced by healthcare professionals in accurately determining ILD trends over time and across different regions, according to a study.

In this review, researchers systematically searched the Medline and Embase databases for studies reporting ILD incidence and prevalence. A total of 80 studies were included, focusing on a range of ILD subtypes. The most extensively studied subgroup was autoimmune-related ILD, with particular emphasis on rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-associated ILD, systemic sclerosis associated (SSc) ILD, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

The prevalence of IPF, one of the most studied ILD conditions, was predominantly established using healthcare datasets, revealing a range of 7 to 1650 cases per 100,000 individuals. Autoimmune ILD prevalence tended to be reported in smaller autoimmune cohorts, with SSc ILD and RA ILD showing prevalence rates ranging from 26.1% to 88.1% and 0.6% to 63.7%, respectively.

Reference
Shah Gupta R, Koteci A, Morgan A, George PM, Quint JK. Incidence and prevalence of interstitial lung diseases worldwide: a systematic literature review. BMJ Open Respir Res. 2023;10(1):e001291. doi: 10.1136/bmjresp-2022-001291. PMID: 37308252.