title: Clinical predictors of survival in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive disease. Effective treatment is not currently available and the prognosis is poor. The aim of our study was to identify clinical predictors of survival in patients with IPF.
  
  
  METHODS
  By using medical record database of a university hospital, we reviewed the records of patients who had been diagnosed as having IPF from January 1996 through December 2007.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 89 patients considered as having interstitial lung disease (ILD) on computed tomography (CT) of the chest, 22 were excluded because of the diagnosis of other ILDs or connective tissue disease, and finally, 67 met the criteria of IPF. The mean age at the diagnosis of IPF was 70 years (range, 41~87 years) and 43 (64%) were male. The mean survival time following the diagnosis of IPF was 40 months (range, 0~179 months). Among them, 28 cases were diagnosed as the progressive state of IPF on the follow-up CT examination, and the mean duration between diagnosis of IPF and progression was 31 months. Multivariate analysis using Cox regression model revealed that body mass index (BMI) less than 18.5 kg/m(2) (p=0.030; hazard ratio [HR], 12.085; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.277~114.331) and CT progression before 36 months from the diagnosis of IPF (p=0.042; HR, 13.564; 95% CI, 1.101~167.166) were independently associated with mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Since low BMI at the diagnosis of IPF and progression on follow-up CT were associated with poor prognosis, IPF patients with low BMI and/or progression before 36 months following the diagnosis should be closely monitored.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Hye
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jin Hwa
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yon Ju
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.forename: Jung Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Chang