Corticosteroid and immunomodulatory agents in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Luppi, F., Cerri, S., Beghè, B., Fabbri, L.M. and Richeldi, L. (2004) Corticosteroid and immunomodulatory agents in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Respiratory Medicine, 98 (11), 1035-1044. (doi:10.1016/j.rmed.2004.07.019). (PMID:15526803)

Abstract

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive pulmonary disease leading to death within a few years of diagnosis despite medical therapy. On the basis of methodologies of the Cochrane collaboration, this overview discusses the evidence for IPF therapy. Good-quality studies on oral corticosteroids, the most common medical therapy in use for IPF, are lacking. A few small studies have been carried out on the efficacy of many non-steroid immunosuppressive agents, and the results have been generally disappointing. The most extensively studied medical therapy, gamma interferon, showed a significant effect in a small randomized study, but its efficacy was not confirmed in a larger randomized-controlled trial. The long-awaited good news for patients affected by this deadly disease, and for their physicians, could come in the near future from large randomized-controlled trials with gamma interferon or other immunomodulatory agents

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