Elderly idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients remain on therapy despite higher incidence of adverse events and dose reductions


ÇİLLİ A., Ocal N., ÜZER F., COŞKUN N. F., SEVİNÇ C., URSAVAŞ A., ...More

Respiratory Investigation, vol.61, no.4, pp.490-497, 2023 (ESCI) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 61 Issue: 4
  • Publication Date: 2023
  • Doi Number: 10.1016/j.resinv.2023.04.007
  • Journal Name: Respiratory Investigation
  • Journal Indexes: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus, EMBASE, MEDLINE
  • Page Numbers: pp.490-497
  • Keywords: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, Nintedanib, Pirfenidone, Safety, Tolerability
  • Bursa Uludag University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) predominantly affects people over the age of 60 years and its incidence increases with age. Limited data is available on the use of antifibrotics in the elderly IPF population. We aimed to examine the tolerability and safety of antifibrotics (pirfenidone, nintedanib) in elderly patients with IPF in a real-world setting. Methods: Medical records of 284 elderly (≥75 years) and 446 non-elderly IPF patients (<75 years) were retrospectively analyzed in this multi-center study. Patient characteristics, treatments, adverse events (AEs), tolerability, hospitalizations, exacerbations, and mortality were compared between the elderly and non-elderly group. Results: In the elderly group, the mean age was 79 years and the mean antifibrotic treatment duration was 26.1 months. The most commonly reported AEs were weight loss, loss of appetite and nausea. Elderly IPF patients had a significantly higher incidence of AEs (62.9% vs. 55.1%, p = 0.039) and dose reductions (27.4% vs. 18.1%, p = 0.003) than the non-elderly did, but the rate of discontinuation of antifibrotics was not different between groups (13% vs. 10.8%, p = 0.352). In addition, the severity of the disease, frequency of hospitalizations, exacerbations, and mortality rates were higher in elderly patients. Conclusion: The present study showed that elderly IPF patients experienced significantly increased AEs and dose reductions due to antifibrotic use, while the discontinuation rates of the drugs were similar to those of drugs used by non-elderly patients.