Table 2.
Initial Treatment Regimen by Various Subgroups
| By Geographic Region | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West (n=74) |
Midwest (n=46) |
South (n=78) |
Northeas t (n=54) |
p value | |
| Prednisone only (%) | 23 | 15 | 14 | 19 | 0.51 |
| Prednisone plus cytotoxic agent (%) |
27 | 17 | 23 | 22 | 0.68 |
| Prednisone, azathioprine, N- acetylcysteine (%) |
15 | 13 | 19 | 7 | 0.29 |
| Any prednisone regimen * | 62 | 37 | 50 | 43 | 0.03 |
| No therapy (%) | 4 | 13 | 17 | 4 | 0.02 |
| By Years in Practice | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| < 5 (n=55) |
5-15 (n=92) |
>15 (n=105) |
p value | |
| Prednisone only (%) | 15 | 15 | 22 | 0.36 |
| Prednisone plus cytotoxic agent (%) |
20 | 25 | 23 | 0.78 |
| Prednisone, azathioprine, N- acetylcysteine (%) |
16 | 12 | 15 | 0.71 |
| Any prednisone regimen * | 49 | 47 | 52 | 0.73 |
| No therapy (%) | 16 | 8 | 8 | 0.15 |
| By Number of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Patients Seen Annually | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-5 (n=102) |
5-10 (n=80) |
11-20 (n=38) |
>20 (n=32) |
p value | |
| Prednisone only (%) | 25 | 19 | 13 | 0 | 0.01 |
| Prednisone plus cytotoxic agent (%) |
28 | 18 | 29 | 13 | 0.12 |
| Prednisone, azathioprine, N- acetylcysteine (%) |
5 | 24 | 13 | 22 | 0.002 |
| Any prednisone regimen * | 52 | 55 | 47 | 31 | 0.14 |
| No therapy (%) | 7 | 6 | 18 | 16 | 0.08 |
*
Any prednisone regimen combines three choices (prednisone only; prednisone, azathioprine; prednisone, azathioprine, N-acetylcysteine)