EPIDEMIOLOGY

IPF IS MORE COMMON THAN PREVIOUSLY BELIEVED

Once considered a relatively rare disease, IPF is now recognized as the most common interstitial lung disease.¹ The incidence of IPF is greater than that of ovarian cancer, similar to those of pancreatic cancer and of all leukemias combined, and nearly 30 times that of cystic fibrosis.^2-4 IPF is a fatal disease with an average 5-year mortality higher than that of many difficult-to-treat cancers.^2,5,6 Disease awareness is among the critical challenges for patients with IPF, their caregivers, and their healthcare teams. Greater disease awareness can facilitate earlier diagnosis and frequent evaluation, both of which are recommended to optimize the management of IPF.^7,8.

IPF INCIDENCE IS COMPARABLE TO THAT OF MANY OTHER SERIOUS DISEASES ^2-4

• The annual incidence of IPF in the US is over 30,000. ³
• IPF occurs more commonly in males than females.
• The US prevalence is approximately 83,000. ³
• 73% of patients with IPF are > 65 years of age. ³

IPF MORTALITY IS HIGHER THAN MANY CANCERS ^2,5,6

The 5-year mortality rate for patients with IPF is 50% to 70%. ^5-6

References:

1. Chapman JT, Farver CF. Idiopathic interstitial lung disease: a review of recent classifications. Clin Pulm Med. 2004;11:17-24.
2. American Cancer Society. Cancer facts & figures 2006. Available at: www.cancer.org (PDF). Accessed March 29, 2006.
3. Raghu G et al. Incidence and prevalence of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2006; 174: 810-16.
4. Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. What is CF? Available at: www.cff.org. Accessed March 29, 2006.
5. King TE Jr, Schwarz MI, Brown K, et al. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: relationship between histopathologic features and mortality. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2001;164:1025-1032.
6. Bjoraker JA, Ryu JH, Edwin MK, et al. Prognostic significance of histopathologic subsets in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1998;157:199-203.
7. American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: diagnosis and treatment. International consensus statement. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2000;161:646-664.
8. Martinez FJ, Safrin S, Weycker D, et al. The clinical course of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Ann Intern Med. 2005;142:963-967.

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