Gender differences in physiologic progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

¹ University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI
² University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
³ Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ
⁴ Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mrking{at}umich.edu.

	Abstract

In IPF, incidence is higher in men, and women may have better survival. We sought to determine whether the rate of increase in desaturation during serial six minute walk testing would be greater, and survival worse, for men versus women.

Serial changes in percent of maximum desaturation area over one year were estimated using mixed models in 215 patients. Desaturation area was defined as the total area above the curve created using desaturation percentage values observed during each minute of the six minute walk test. Multivariate Cox regression assessed survival differences.

Adjusting for baseline desaturation area, six minute walk distance, change in six minute walk distance over time, and smoking history, the percent of maximum desaturation area increased an average of 2.83 per month for men and 1.37 per month for women. Women demonstrated better survival overall, which was more pronounced in patients who did not desaturate below 88% on ambulation at baseline and after additionally adjusting for six-month relative changes in desaturation area and forced vital capacity.

These data suggest that differences in disease progression contribute to but do not completely explain better survival of women with IPF.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. Behr and V. J. Thannickal Update in Diffuse Parenchymal Lung Disease 2008 Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., March 15, 2009; 179(6): 439 - 444. [Full Text] [PDF]