Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Surveillance and Retrospective Exposure Assessment via Interview
- Presentation Day/Time: Wednesday, April 22, 3:40 PM
- Presenter: Matthew Deraedt, PharmD, Wisconsin Department of Health Services
The Issue
- Diagnosing idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) typically requires exclusion of other fibrotic pulmonary diseases, including those resulting from occupational or environmental exposures. However, estimates indicate approximately 21% of IPF deaths might be from previously undocumented workplace exposures.
What We Did
- We interviewed patients with IPF to understand contributing occupational or environmental risk factors.
What We Found
- While data collection continues, three out of four patients interviewed to date reported exposures traditionally associated with occupational and environmental lung disease, despite being diagnosed with IPF.
What This Means
- These preliminary findings suggest that some patients diagnosed with IPF may actually have an occupational lung disease, and it is important to evaluate workplace exposures, even in nontraditional work environments. Health departments can use a similar strategy to more fully understand IPF risk and locate unreported cases of occupational lung disease, thereby improving surveillance.
