Substantial Economic Burden Associated with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

There is a substantial economic burden to patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) who require hospital care, according to registry analysis published in CHEST. IPF is a progressive lung disease that results in scaring of the lung tissue and is associated with high health care costs.

In this analysis, 300 patients enrolled in the ongoing Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Prospective Outcomes Registry between June 5, 2015 and April 12, 2016 were included. The majority of participants were male (75%), white (95%), commercially insured (64%), smokers (68%), had forced vital capacity (FVC) between 50% and 80% predicted (66%), and received antifibrotic drugs (55%). Annual costs for hospitalizations, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, and emergency room (ER) visits were estimated.

At 1-year follow-up, there was an average of 0.11 ER visits, 0.42 hospitalizations, 0.08 ICU admissions, 2.18 hospital days, and 0.45 ICU days. The probability of hospitalization was highest for participants with FVC.

The authors concluded that, “IPF is associated with a substantial economic burden incurred by patients requiring hospital care. Future research in IPF should focus on improving clinical outcomes while reducing cost of care in hospitals.”

To read the full report click here.

Reference

Fan Y, Bender SD, Conoscenti CS, et al; on behalf of the IPF-PRO™ Registry Investigators. Hospital-based resource use and costs among patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis enrolled in the Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Prospective Outcomes (IPF-PRO) registry [published online January 28, 2020]. CHEST. doi:10.1016/j.chest.2019.12.041