Table 4.
Medical treatment of AE-ILD in patients with a survival time of at least six months
| Parameter | Total n = 63 | IPF n = 32 | Other ILD n = 31 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corticosteroid therapy at discharge | 59 (93.7) | 31 (96.9) | 28 (90.3) |
| Corticosteroid initiated after discharge | 2 (3.2) | 0 | 2 (6.5) |
| Corticosteroid therapy finished before the follow-up visit | 9 (14.3) | 8 (25.0) | 1 (3.2) |
| Duration of therapy (months) | 2.0 (0.5 − 5.5) | 2.0 (0.5 − 5.5) | 1.0 |
| Corticosteroid therapy at follow-up visita | 52 (82.5) | 23 (71.9) | 29 (93.5) |
| Corticosteroid dosage prescribed at follow-up (mg) | 10.0 (2.5 − 50) | 10.0 (2.5 − 50.0) | 10.0 (2.5 − 30.0) |
| Antifibrotic treatment at follow-up visitb | |||
| Pirfenidone | 4 (6.3) | 4 (12.5) | 0 |
| Nintedanib | 2 (3.2) | 2 (6.3) | 0 |
| Other immunosuppressant at follow-up visit | |||
| Azathioprine | 4 (6.3) | 2 (6.3) | 2 (6.5) |
| Cyclophosphamide | 1 (1.6) | 0 | 1 (3.2) |
| Mycophenolate | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| N-acetylcysteine at follow-up visit | 2 (3.2) | 2 (6.3) | 0 |
| No medical treatment of ILD at follow-up visit | 9 (14.3) | 7 (21.9) | 2 (6.5) |
Data are expressed as number of cases (%) or median (minimum − maximum)
Abbreviations: AE-ILD Acute exacerbation of interstitial lung disease, ILD Interstitial lung disease, IPF Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
aAll patients who used corticosteroid therapy at follow-up visit continued this therapy afterwards
bTwo patients with pirfenidone and one patient with nintedanib had used this medication already before AE-IPF. Three patients had initiated antifibrotic drug use during the follow-up period