Table 1.
Comparison of patients’ characteristics in idiopathic and triggered groups in AE-IPF
| Total (n=64) | Idiopathic (n=42) | Triggered (n=22) | P values | |
| Gender (Male) | 54 (84.4) | 34 (81.0) | 20 (90.9) | 0.47 |
| Age at AE-IPF (years) | 76.3±6.9 | 77.0±6.5 | 74.9±7.6 | 0.25 |
| Smoking status (current/ex/never) | 7/53/4 | 1/37/4 | 6/16/0 | 0.0048 |
| Comorbid lung cancer | 16 (25.0) | 3 (7.1) | 13 (59.1) | <0.001 |
| Home oxygen therapy | 26 (40.6) | 19 (45.2) | 7 (31.8) | 0.30 |
| Pulmonary function tests | ||||
| VC | 2.0±0.8 (n=35) | 2.1±0.8 (n=20) | 2.0±0.8 (n=15) | 0.66 |
| VC | 62.4±19.0 (n=35) | 64.3±19.1 (n=20) | 59.8±19.3 (n=15) | 0.49 |
| FVC | 2.0±0.7 (n=39) | 2.0±0.6 (n=24) | 2.0±0.7 (n=15) | 0.81 |
| FVC | 64.4±20.9 (n=39) | 65.8±22.8 (n=24) | 62.2±17.8 (n=15) | 0.61 |
| FEV1 | 1.7±0.6 (n=39) | 1.7±0.6 (n=24) | 1.7±0.7 (n=15) | 0.92 |
| Treatments before AE-IPF | ||||
| Corticosteroid | 16 (25.0) | 15 (35.7) | 1 (4.5) | 0.01 |
| Immunosuppressive therapy | 2 (3.1) | 1 (2.4) | 1 (4.5) | 1.00 |
| Anti-fibrotic therapy | 8 (12.7) | 6 (14.3) | 2 (9.1) | 0.70 |
| PPI or H2B | 19 (29.7) | 15 (35.7) | 4 (18.2) | 0.16 |
| Vital signs | ||||
| PaO2/FiO2 | 190.0±125.1 | 160.0±73.7 (n=28) | 236.7±170.2 (n=18) | 0.04 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 128.0±23.0 | 126.2±21.4 | 131.5±25.8 | 0.38 |
| Pulse (/min) | 98.1±20.9 | 96.5±22.7 | 101.2±16.9 | 0.39 |
| Body temperature (°C) | 37.0±0.6 | 37.0±0.6 | 36.9±0.5 | 0.30 |
| Laboratory data | ||||
| WBC (/µL) | 11075.6±4530.6 | 10745.0±4114.9 | 11706.8±5280.6 | 0.42 |
| Hb (g/dL) | 12.7±2.1 | 12.7±2.1 | 12.8±2.3 | 0.86 |
| Plt (×104/µL) | 23.5±8.6 | 23.5±8.5 | 23.4±9.2 | 0.97 |
| TP (g/dL) | 7.2±0.9 | 7.3±0.96 | 7.1±0.8 | 0.38 |
| LDH (U/L) | 385.1±167.0 | 373.6±113.9 | 407.2±239.9 | 0.45 |
| BUN (mg/dL) | 19.4±13.6 | 18.1±11.0 | 21.7±17.5 | 0.32 |
| Cre (mg/dL) | 0.9±0.6 | 0.9±0.7 | 0.9±0.5 | 0.86 |
| CRP (mg/dL) | 10.1±7.8 | 8.8±7.0 | 12.7±8.8 | 0.06 |
| KL-6 (U/mL) | 1425.4±1004.8 (n=58) | 1502.5±993.2 (n=40) | 1254.1±1037.8 (n=18) | 0.39 |
| SP-D (ng/mL) | 374.7±373.4 (n=45) | 388.7±412.5 (n=32) | 340.3±264.7 (n=13) | 0.70 |
| BAL performed | 4 (6.3) | 3 (7.1) | 1 (4.5) | 1.00 |
| Treatments after AE-IPF | ||||
| Intravenous high-dose steroids | 42 (65.6) | 31 (73.8) | 11 (50) | 0.06 |
| Antibiotic therapy | 52 (81.3) | 32 (76.2) | 20 (90.9) | 0.19 |
| Azithromycin | 12 (18.8) | 9 (21.4) | 3 (13.6) | 0.52 |
| Mechanical ventilation | 2 (3.1) | 0 | 2 (9.1) | 0.11 |
| Length of hospital stay, median (range; days) | 27.5 (2–119) | 26 (2–91) | 28 (3–119) | 0.46 |
| In-hospital death | 35 (54.7) | 22 (52.4) | 13 (59.1) | 0.61 |
Data are presented as a number (%) or mean±SD unless otherwise specified.
AE-IPF, acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; BAL, bronchoalveolar lavage; BUN, blood urea nitrogen; CRP, C reactive protein; Cre, creatinine; FEV1, forced expiratory volume in 1 s; FVC, forced vital capacity; FiO2, fraction of inspired oxygen; H2B, H2 blocker; Hb, haemoglobin; KL-6, Krebs von den Lungen-6; LDH, lactate dehydrogenase; PPI, proton pump inhibitor; PaO2, partial pressure of arterial oxygen; Plt, platelets.