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Review article: Biomedical intelligence

Vol. 145 No. 2122 (2015)

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: the turning point is now!

  • Manuela Funke
  • Thomas Geiser
DOI
https://doi.org/10.4414/smw.2015.14139
Cite this as:
Swiss Med Wkly. 2015;145:w14139
Published
17.05.2015

Summary

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic progressive lung disease with poor survival. Recent studies have improved understanding of IPF and new discoveries have led to novel treatment options, which now have become available for patients. In face of the newly available therapies we present an update on the pathophysiology and epidemiology of IPF. We discuss the typical clinical findings and elaborate diagnostic procedures according to current guidelines and our daily practice approach. The role of biomarkers will briefly be outlined. Finally, we discuss novel antifibrotic treatment options for IPF (pirfenidone, nintedanib) and the management of patients regarding to comorbidities and complications. Both pirfenidone and nintedanib were shown to reduce the progression of IPF and therefore represent novel therapeutic strategies in this so far untreatable chronic lung disease.

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