Reassessment of the classification of the severity in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis using SF-36 questionnaire.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether or not the newly revised classification of the severity of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP) is appropriate with respect to quality of life (QOL).


METHODS
The association between the subscale of Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and pulmonary function or serum marker was analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient. The association between the subscale of SF-36 and the previous or newly revised classification of the severity of IIP was analyzed using Spearman's rank correlation test.


METHODS
Forty patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) were enrolled.


RESULTS
The mean deviation value scores for 7 items, excluding bodily pain (BP) in SF-36 were below the national reference values. % vital capacity (VC) was correlated with the 7 items excluding BP. However, neither serum LDH nor KL-6 values were correlated with any item in SF-36. According to the new or previous classification of the severity, severity was correlated with physical function, limitation of role functioning related physical problems and general health (GH); the correlation coefficient with the new one was slightly higher than the previous one. Based on these results, we established a unique draft on the classification of the severity. %VC <70% was added as an item for the newly revised classification in our draft. In our draft, there was rank correlation between the 7 items, excluding BP, in SF-36 and severity.


CONCLUSIONS
With respect to QOL, the newly revised classification of the severity of IIP was not satisfactory, but the hypoxemia during exercise in patients with resting PaO(2) >80 Torr and reduction of VC were found to be important factors.
Ohno
Shoji
S
Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Medicine, Jichi Medical School, Minamikawachi, Tochigi 329-0498.
Nakazawa
Shoko
S
Kobayashi
Akira
A
Bando
Masashi
M
Sugiyama
Yukihiko
Y
D000368:Aged; D000941:Antigens / Q000097:blood; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001706:Biopsy; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D006836:Hydro-Lyases / Q000097:blood; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D018396:Mucin-1; D009077:Mucins; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000097:blood / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D000941:Antigens; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D015415:Biomarkers; D006023:Glycoproteins; C060192:MUC1 protein, human; D018396:Mucin-1; D009077:Mucins; D006836:Hydro-Lyases; C045581:lactate dehydratase