title: [Effect of corticosteroids upon the prognosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the therapeutic effect of corticosteroids upon idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and the impact of corticosteroids upon survival time.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical data of 94 corticosteroid treatment and 32 non-corticosteroid treatment IPF patients during 2000 - 2004 were retrospectively analyzed and their survival rates compared between two groups. The corticosteroid treatment patients were divided into 3 groups: improved, steady and worsened group according to the pulmonary function data. Therapeutic effects and survival rates were compared between these 3 groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the treatment group, 6 (6.4%) patients could not be located, 22 (23.4%) patients survived, and 66 (70.2%) patients died. In the non-corticosteroid treatment group, 1 (3.1%) patients could not be located, 2 (6.3%) patients survived and 29 (90.6%) patients died. No statistically significant difference existed between the two groups (P > 0.05). Sixty-two corticosteroid treatment patients were followed up for 3-6 months. Among them, 19 (30.7%) patients improved, 11 (17.7%) patients remained steady and 32 (51.6%) patients worsened in pulmonary function. In 19 improved patients, 7 (36.8%) survived and 12 (63.2%) died. In 11 steady patients, 3 (27.2%) survived and 8 (72.7%) died. In 32 worsened patients, 3 (9.4%) could not be located, 1(3.1%) survived and 28 (87.5%) died. The survival rate of the improved and steady groups was higher than that of the worsened group (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is some therapeutic effect of corticosteroids in the early alveolitis stage of IPF. The prognosis of the patients with improved and steady pulmonary function parameters during the first 3 - 6 months is better than that of worsened patients.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Respiratory Diseases, First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China. zhenhua-li@163.com
authors.forename: Zhen-hua
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Shou-Chun
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Xian-ming
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Run-jiang
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D054990:Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones