Trends in mortality from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in the European Union: an observational study of the WHO mortality database from 2001–2013

Abstract

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most common of the idiopathic interstitial pneumonias and is characterised by progressive accumulation of scar tissue in the lungs. The objective of this study was to describe the current mortality rates due to IPF in Europe, based on the World Health Organization (WHO) mortality database.We used country-level data for IPF mortality, identified in the WHO mortality database using International Classification of Diseases 10th Edition (ICD-10) codes, for the period 2001-2013. Joinpoint analysis was performed to describe trends throughout the observation period.The median mortality was 3.75 per 100 000 (interquartile range (IQR) 1.37-5.30) and 1.50 per 100 000 (IQR 0.65-2.02) for males and females, respectively. IPF mortality increased in the majority of the European Union (EU) countries with the exceptions of Denmark, Croatia, Austria and Romania. There was a significant disparity in rates across Europe, in the range 0.41-12.1 per 100 000 for men and 0.24-5.63 per 100 000 for women. The most notable increases were observed in the United Kingdom and Finland. Rates were also substantially higher in males, with sex disparity increasing across the period.The reported IPF mortality appears to be increasing across the EU; however, there is substantial variation in mortality trends and overall reported mortality rates between countries.

The increasing mortality of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: fact or fallacy?

“…A study by MARSHALL et al [10] published in this issue of the European Respiratory Journal describes trends in IPF mortality between 2001 and 2013, based on deaths recorded in the World Health Organization (WHO) mortality database. This large dataset clearly shows that age-standardised IPF-related mortality is increasing over time in most European countries, adding to a recent study reporting similar findings in several European and non-European nations [11].…”

Impact of FDG-PET on the Detection of Patients with Lung Cancer at High Risk for ILD

“…Interstitial lung diseases (ILD) are associated with an increased mortality (1)(2)(3). Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), in particular, has an increasing incidence, and can be classified as a life-threatening condition, associated with a median survival of 3-4 years, comparable to that of patients suffering from malignant diseases (4). As reported in a study evaluating more than 9,000 patients with IPF in the US, comorbidities in IPF are frequent and associated with an increased mortality (4,5).…”

“…Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), in particular, has an increasing incidence, and can be classified as a life-threatening condition, associated with a median survival of 3-4 years, comparable to that of patients suffering from malignant diseases (4). As reported in a study evaluating more than 9,000 patients with IPF in the US, comorbidities in IPF are frequent and associated with an increased mortality (4,5). Moreover, an increased risk for the development of lung cancer (LC) was shown in a recent study evaluating comorbidities of more than 5,000 patients with IPF in Japan, with a prevalence of 3.7% for those hospitalized with IPF (6).…”

Metal-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis

“…In addition to cigarette smoking, environmental and occupational factors have been documented as known risk factors for IPF, including metal dust exposure [3], however it is plausible that metals-induced pulmonary fibrosis is truly a unique disease and not classifiable as “idiopathic”. There is a global rise in the incidence of IPF [4] as well as an increase in IPF-induced mortality in the European Union over the last two decades [5], whether this increase is due to idiopathic disease or due to the global increase in secondary pulmonary fibrosis (such as from air pollution or metal dust exposure) is unknown. Moreover, mortality rates from interstitial lung disease and pulmonary sarcoidosis have substantially increased in the United States from 1980 to 2014 (Figure 1A) with a distinct localization in the southwestern United States [6], an area harboring thousands of abandoned hard-rock mining sites.…”