Margarida Maia, PhD, science writer —

Fibrosis or scarring in the lungs may blunt the ability of the body’s immune cells to fight off an infection in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a study in mice found. Researchers observed that when isolated from a fibrotic lung, macrophages — a type of white blood cells that engulfs…

Pulmonary rehabilitation is as effective a treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) as it is for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a real-world study found. “Patients with IPF have similar completion rates and magnitude of response to pulmonary rehabilitation [to patients with COPD],” its scientists wrote. “These data reinforce the…

A signaling molecule called interleukin 35 (IL-35) is at unusually high levels in lung tissues from mice and in people with pulmonary fibrosis (PF), and seems to play a role in slowing disease progression, a study found. These findings indicate that IL-35 might be a new therapeutic target for…

A protein called RAGE may be a useful biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a recent study suggests. RAGE levels were found to be decreased in the lungs of IPF patients, and in those of mice used to model the human disease. Meanwhile, the…

People with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) have an eight times higher risk of mortality during hospitalizations or within three months of being discharged than outside this time window, a U.S. study has found. The risks were even greater for patients who were admitted to the hospital for a respiratory…

Certain genetic variants appear to lead to better survival in people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) who are on anti-fibrotics, suggesting that genetic testing may help to select patients for specific treatments, a real-world study found. Specifically, people carrying a variant of the DSP gene, known as the rs2076295…

Esbriet (pirfenidone) appears to slow the progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) regardless of the presence of autoantibodies, which might mean the therapy can work even when IPF is linked to an autoimmune disease, a study suggests. The study, “Effectiveness of pirfenidone in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis according…

A patient with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) who also had non-small cell lung cancer responded well to treatment with Ofev (nintedanib), according to a new case report. The findings suggest Ofev might be an effective treatment choice for patients in whom the two conditions coexist but who are…

Two approved anti-fibrotics are proving to be safe and effective in treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a study with real-world data reports. The data showed Esbriet (pirfenidone) and Ofev (nintedanib) increased progression-free survival, slowed down lung function decline, and reduced mortality in IPF patients. Ofev appears to…

Respiratory viral and bacterial infections are common in people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and might play a role in the development of the disease, a study reported. The study, “The role of viral and bacterial infections in the pathogenesis of IPF: a systematic review and…