Total cholesterol may be 'cost-effective indicator' to predict patient survival. Low total cholesterol levels are linked to a higher risk of death among people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis , a new study from China with more than three years of follow-up data found.
According to the team, these findings suggest that total cholesterol levels might help predict survival among people whose pulmonary fibrosis is due to an unknown cause. IPF is a progressive disease characterized by scarring, or fibrosis, of the lungs, causing symptoms like shortness of breath and a dry, hacking cough. While the exact mechanisms underlying the disease need further study, emerging research suggests a link between IPF progression and metabolic changes, particularly in fat lipid metabolism.
To shed light on a potential relationship between IPF and fat metabolism, a team of researchers from Nanjing University conducted a retrospective analysis that involved people β males and 17 females β with the condition. A total of 87 had a history of smoking, 35 had diabetes, 47 had high blood pressure, five had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease , known as COPD, and 11 had a history of heart disease.
Antifibrotic therapies were administered to 75 patients, while 13 received fat-lowering therapies, and four underwent a lung transplant. The median follow-up was 64 months, or nearly 5. No significant differences were observed in circulating levels of fatty molecules between the two groups. Age, gender, smoking history, and body mass index, a ratio of weight to height, were nearly identical between the two groups.
The use of fat-lowering therapies and comorbidities, or co-occurring conditions, also were nearly the same. Significantly more patients in the survival group received antifibrotic therapies Patients in the survival group also had a lower risk of mortality, as assessed by the GAP index.
