ERS 2018: New guideline aids in diagnosing IPF

A new international guideline has been developed to help physicians diagnosis idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a rare and often fatal lung disease whose cause is unknown. The 2018 clinical practice guideline was developed by experts representing four major respiratory societies. The respiratory societies are: the American Thoracic Society (ATS), the European Respiratory Society (ERS), Japanese Respiratory Society (JRS) and the Latin American Thoracic Society (ALAT)--and published online and in the American Thoracic Society's Sept. 1 edition of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. IPF is the most common and deadly form of a group of more than 200 conditions known broadly as interstitial lung disease. Most often, IPF is diagnosed in adults over age 60 and more often in men than women. Symptoms include shortness of breath, a dry cough and low oxygen levels. The median survival is three to five years after the diagnosis. "Diagnosing IPF is challenging because these symptoms are non-specific: they occur with all other interstitial lung diseases and with other respiratory problems," said Ganesh Raghu, MD, chair of the guideline…