Nutritional Assessment in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Overview

In recent years nutritional status assumed increasing importance in the evaluation of chronic respiratory diseases, considering that their clinical course is often characterized by a progressive loss of weight and reduction of muscle mass.In regards to Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), to date there are no studies that fully assessed the nutritional status of patients, nor the impact of the introduction of specific anti-fibrotic agents on the nutritional status of these patients. Aim of this study is to assess the nutritional status of patients with IPF at the time of diagnosis and the impact of the introduction of specific anti-fibrotic agents, pirfenidone or nintedanib, on the nutritional status itself.

Preliminary studies on Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) seem to suggest that nutritional status has an impact on clinical outcomes, as already demonstrated in COPD. However, few data regarding this subject are available for patients with IPF. Primary aim of this study is to assess the nutritional status of patients diagnosed with mild to moderate IPF at the time of disease diagnosis. To do so, the investigators assess the prevalence of nutritional disorders at baseline through nutritional scores evaluated with specific questionnaires and through the identification of the following metabolic phenotypes (based on those previously applied in COPD): cachexia, sarcopenia, normal nutritional status, obesity, sarcopenic obesity. Secondary aims of this study are: * the evaluation of the impact of the introduction of an anti-fibrotic pharmacological agent (pirfenidone or nintedanib) on the nutritional status of patients (modification of metabolic phenotypes and nutritional scores) evaluated at 6 months from the initiation of antifibrotic therapy. * the assessment of calcium and vitamin D metabolism, by blood sampling, in patients diagnosed with mild to moderate IPF at the time of disease diagnosis and at 6 months from the initiation of antifibrotic therapy.

Conditions