title: [How are interstitial lung diseases diagnosed in Germany? Results of the scientific registry for the exploration of interstitial lung diseases ("Fibrosis registry") of the WATL].
abstract: From 1995 to 1999 we evaluated questionnaires sent by pulmonologists and departments of pulmonology in order to register interstitial lung diseases. On the whole 1142 patients (579 males, 563 females, mean age 51.1 +/- 15.3 years, sarcoidosis, n = 511, extrinsic allergic alveolitis, n = 145, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, n = 308, bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP), n = 93, others, n = 85) were recorded in the registry. With reference to the mean age sarcoidosis occurred most frequently in the fourth decade and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in the sixth decade. In all these diseases bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage and transbronchial biopsy was predominantly used for further diagnosis. It was striking that high-resolution computed tomography of the thorax was still rarely used when diagnosing these diseases. Apart from the group with BOOP the number of non-smokers in men and women was decisively higher than the average of the population of Germany.
authors.affiliation: III. Medizinische Klinik - Pneumologie - Carl-Thiem-Klinikum, Akademisches Lehrkrankenhaus der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Charité), Cottbus. H.Schweisfurth@CTK.de
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schweisfurth
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kieslich
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Satake
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Loddenkemper
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schönfeld
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mäder
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Treutler
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Matthiessen
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Leonhardt
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Siemon
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: deWall
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Gereke
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Costabel
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D018549:Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D017563:Lung Diseases, Interstitial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D012042:Registries; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires