The Activities of Daily Living after an Acute Exacerbation of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Objective An acute exacerbation (AE) of idiopathic pulmonary disease (IPF) represents a life threatening condition. The activities of daily living (ADL) and quality of life of patients who survive an AE of IPF (AE-IPF) are often diminished. However, the association between AE-IPF and the ADL has yet to be evaluated. To evaluate the effect of AE-IPF on the ADL. Methods, Patients Patients treated for AE-IPF from 2010 to 2014 were identified. We retrospectively evaluated their ADL before and after AE-IPF using a modified Barthel index (BI) composed of 6 items. Results Twenty-eight of the 47 AE-IPF patients remained alive at 3 months after the onset of AE-IPF. The BI values of 22 survivors (79%) showed a full score (70 points) before the onset of AE-IPF. The evaluation of the BI scores at four weeks after the onset of AE-IPF revealed that the scores of 12 patients had decreased by >15 points and more than half of the survivors showed scores of <55. Logistic regression analyses showed that persistent hypeoxemia at 28 days after an AE, both at exertion (odds ratio, 24.20; 95% confidence interval, 2.42-242.31; p=0.009) and at rest (odds ratio, 21.00; 95% confidence interval, 2.05-215.18; p=0.010), was associated with a >15-point decrease in the BI score at 4 weeks after AE-IPF. Conclusion AE-IPF survivors with persistent hypoxemia showed diminished ADL after treatment.