LAUSR

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most common of the idiopathic interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) and carries a poor prognosis. The recent therapeutic achievements have changed the management of the disease [1, 2] and increased the need for health economy evaluations. However, only a few studies have examined the economic consequences of IPF [3, 4]. The aim of the present study was: 1) to evaluate the health economic aspects of IPF in well-characterised patients diagnosed in accordance with the current evidence-based guidelines before the introduction of antifibrotic therapy [5]; and 2) to compare the health-related costs of IPF and matched controls from the general population using prospectively collected data from population-based medical databases in the predominantly tax-financed Danish healthcare system. When a patient is diagnosed with IPF, the net health costs increase from €2753 to €21 184 per year even without the cost of antifibrotic treatment. Inpatient treatment accounts for the main part of the expenses http://ow.ly/dSsn30jEx0p