A new international consensus guideline based on scientific evidence following the GRADE method represents an improvement in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and other progressive fibrosing interstitial lung diseases (all of which are rare complex respiratory diseases with poor prognosis).
The diagnostic innovations included in the new guideline are the introduction of transbronchial cryobiological examination as a useful and minimally invasive technique in the diagnosis of IPF, as well as the definition and criteria for identifying progressive pulmonary fibrosis.
As a therapeutic novelty, it is worth highlighting the first pharmacological treatment (nintedanib) that is recommended for progressive pulmonary fibrosis of any type due to the benefit it has demonstrated in slowing the progression of respiratory functional deterioration.
Dr. Maria Molina, co-leader of the IDIBELL research group on pneumology and head of the Pneumology Service of the University Hospital of Bellvitge, has participated in the elaboration of this new international clinical practice guideline, which has been published this May in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. The document has been endorsed by the American Thoracic Society, the European Respiratory Society, the Japanese Respiratory Society and the Latin American Chest Association.
The recommendations in the document update the previous guidelines, with the aim of providing a basis for rational and informed decision-making by clinicians. To prepare them, a multidisciplinary committee was formed consisting of experts in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, experts in methodology and patient representatives.
Text adapted from HUB
The Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) is a biomedical research center created in 2004. It is participated by the Bellvitge University Hospital and the Viladecans Hospital of the Catalan Institute of Health, the Catalan Institute of Oncology, the University of Barcelona and the City Council of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat.
IDIBELL is a member of the Campus of International Excellence of the University of Barcelona HUBc and is part of the CERCA institution of the Generalitat de Catalunya. In 2009 it became one of the first five Spanish research centers accredited as a health research institute by the Carlos III Health Institute. In addition, it is part of the “HR Excellence in Research” program of the European Union and is a member of EATRIS and REGIC. Since 2018, IDIBELL has been an Accredited Center of the AECC Scientific Foundation (FCAECC).