Acute Exacerbations in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Authors: Seamus P. Crowley, Peter Kelly, Jim J. Egan
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2006)

Letters7 February 2006Acute Exacerbations in Idiopathic Pulmonary FibrosisSeamus P. Crowley, MD, Peter Kelly, MD, MS, and Jim J. Egan, MDSeamus P. Crowley, MDFrom Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Dublin 7, Ireland.Search for more papers by this author, Peter Kelly, MD, MSFrom Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Dublin 7, Ireland.Search for more papers by this author, and Jim J. Egan, MDFrom Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Dublin 7, Ireland.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-144-3-200602070-00014 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:The data provided by Martinez and colleagues (1) are a further example of the merits of offering treatment to patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) only as part of a therapeutic trial. Although the large international study of interferon-γ use in IPF was mostly negative, the data gleaned from the placebo group are critical to our understanding of the natural history of this fatal condition (2). Needless to say, the information provided raises many additional questions. Researchers are increasingly recognizing acute exacerbations of IPF as an important clinical entity. I would be interested in learning whether it ...References1. Martinez FJ, Safrin S, Weycker D, Starko KM, Bradford WZ, King TE, et al. The clinical course of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Ann Intern Med. 2005;142:963-7. [PMID: 15968010] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Raghu G, Brown KK, Bradford WZ, Starko K, Noble PW, Schwartz DA, et al. A placebo-controlled trial of interferon gamma-1b in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. N Engl J Med. 2004;350:125-33. [PMID: 14711911] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Egan JJ, Martinez FJ, Wells AU, Williams T. Lung function estimates in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: the potential for a simple classification [Editorial]. Thorax. 2005;60:270-3. [PMID: 15790978] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Honore I, Nunes H, Groussard O, Kambouchner M, Chambellan A, Aubier M, et al. Acute respiratory failure after interferon-gamma therapy of end-stage pulmonary fibrosis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2003;167:953-7. [PMID: 12663336] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Dublin 7, Ireland.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoThe Clinical Course of Patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Fernando J. Martinez , Sharon Safrin , Derek Weycker , Karen M. Starko , Williamson Z. Bradford , Talmadge E. King Jr , Kevin R. Flaherty , David A. Schwartz , Paul W. Noble , Ganesh Raghu , Kevin K. Brown , and The Clinical Course of Patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Fernando J. Martinez , Sharon Safrin , Derek Weycker , Karen M. Starko , Williamson Z. Bradford , Talmadge E. King Jr , Kevin R. Flaherty , David A. Schwartz , Paul W. Noble , Ganesh Raghu , Kevin K. Brown , and Acute Exacerbations in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Fernando J. Martinez Metrics Cited ByAcute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: A systematic review 7 February 2006Volume 144, Issue 3Page: 218KeywordsCarbon monoxideConflicts of interestData managementDrugsForecastingInterstitial lung diseasesPatients ePublished: 7 February 2006 Issue Published: 7 February 2006 CopyrightCopyright © 2006 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...