Occurrence of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis in Italy: Latest Evidence from Real-World Data

Marica Iommi, Martina Bonifazi, Andrea Faragalli, Lara Letizia Latini, Federico Mei, Liana Spazzafumo, Edlira Skrami, Luigi Ferrante, Flavia Carle and Rosaria Gesuita
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Marica Iommi: Center of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Medical Information Technology, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, Marche Polytechnic University, 60126 Ancona, Italy
Martina Bonifazi: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, Marche Polytechnic University, 60126 Ancona, Italy
Andrea Faragalli: Center of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Medical Information Technology, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, Marche Polytechnic University, 60126 Ancona, Italy
Lara Letizia Latini: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, Marche Polytechnic University, 60126 Ancona, Italy
Federico Mei: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, Marche Polytechnic University, 60126 Ancona, Italy
Liana Spazzafumo: Regional Health Agency of Marche, 60125 Ancona, Italy
Edlira Skrami: Center of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Medical Information Technology, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, Marche Polytechnic University, 60126 Ancona, Italy
Luigi Ferrante: Center of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Medical Information Technology, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, Marche Polytechnic University, 60126 Ancona, Italy
Flavia Carle: Center of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Medical Information Technology, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, Marche Polytechnic University, 60126 Ancona, Italy
Rosaria Gesuita: Center of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Medical Information Technology, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, Marche Polytechnic University, 60126 Ancona, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 5, 1-10

Abstract: The aim of the study was to evaluate the trend in the incidence of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in a real-world setting of the Marche region, a region of Central Italy, between 2014 and 2019. This observational prospective study was based on administrative databases of hospital discharges and drug prescriptions. All adult residents in the Marche Region with a first prescription of antifibrotic drugs, or a first hospitalization with a diagnosis of IPF during the study period, were identified as incident cases of IPF. A multiple Poisson regression analysis was used to estimate the IPF incidence trend, adjusted for age, sex, and health conditions. The mean incidence rate was 9.8 cases per 100,000 person-years. A significant increasing trend of 6% per year was observed. The incidence rates were significantly higher in males than females, older subjects, and those with poorer health conditions. To our knowledge, this is the first study evaluating incidences of IPF over a 6-year period in Italy, combining hospital discharge and drug prescription databases. The study highlights that the combined use of two secondary sources is a reliable strategy to accurately identify new cases of IPF when the appropriate disease registry is lacking.

Keywords: idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; incidence; temporal trend; real-world data; clinical epidemiology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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