Removing the cause improves survival in fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonitis

This retrospective study of fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonitis from the Mayo clinic shows that allergen avoidance was associated with improved transplant-free survival, which was still relatively poor (Median survival was 8.39 years for patients with identifiable causative antigen compared to 5.93 years for those with unidentifiable causative antigen). Prognosis did not improve for the first 3 years of follow-up, but after that allergen avoidance improved prognosis in the group whose causative agent had been found. If allergen avoidance was not successful the prognosis was as bad as those without an identified cause. This paper provides good evidence for allergen identification and avoidance in fibrotic disease, this had not been well shown before.

References

	Petnak T, Thongprayoon C, Baqir M, Ryu JH, Moua T, Antigen identification and avoidance on outcomes in fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonitis, Eur Respir J, 2022;60:2101336,10.1183/13993003.01336-2021

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