Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36038862›Full record

ArticleBMC pulmonary medicine2022

Potential interstitial lung abnormalities on chest X-rays prior to symptoms of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

T W Hoffman, H W van Es, D H Biesma, J C Grutters

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC pulmonary medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
1.4field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Comorbidities in clinical cohorts of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2026
    Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

T W HoffmanInterstitial Lung Diseases Center of Excellence, Department of Pulmonology, St. Antonius Hospital, Koekoekslaan 1, 3435 CM, Nieuwegein, The Netherlands. t.hoffman@antoniusziekenhuis.nl.
H W van EsDepartment of Radiology, St. Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein/Utrecht, The Netherlands.
D H BiesmaDepartment of Internal Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
J C GruttersInterstitial Lung Diseases Center of Excellence, Department of Pulmonology, St. Antonius Hospital, Koekoekslaan 1, 3435 CM, Nieuwegein, The Netherlands.
St. Antonius Ziekenhuis · NLLeiden University Medical Center · NL

Funding

ZonMw 842002001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) often has significant diagnostic delay. At present it is not well-known what factors associate with time to diagnosis and if this is associated with survival after the diagnosis. There has also been increasing attention for interstitial lung abnormalities on chest CT-scans. In this study we assessed what factors associate with time to diagnosis in patients with IPF, and whether early stages of pulmonary fibrosis can be seen on chest X-rays prior to the start of symptoms.

methodsIn this retrospective study, 409 Dutch patients with IPF were included. Clinical characteristics, including patient demographics, medical history, time of start of symptoms, time of first visit to pulmonologist, and any previous radiographic imaging reports were collected from patient records.

resultsIn 96 patients (23%) a chest X-ray was available that had been made prior to the start of symptoms (median of 50.5 months (IQR 26.3-83.3 months)), and this showed potential interstitial lung abnormalities in 56 patients (58%). The median time from the start of symptoms to the final diagnosis was 24.0 months (interquartile range 9.0-48.0 months). In a multivariate model that corrected for diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide, forced vital capacity, sex, and age at diagnosis, time to diagnosis did not associate with survival (hazard ratio 1.051 (95% CI 0.800-1.380; p = 0.72)).

conclusionsThere is a significant diagnostic delay for patients with IPF, but longer time to diagnosis did not associate with survival. Interstitial lung abnormalities were seen in more than half of the patients in whom a chest X-ray had been made prior to the start of symptoms. This illustrates that a computed tomography scan should be strongly considered for analysis of unexplained abnormalities on a chest X-ray. This could facilitate early detection and possibly prevention of disease progression for patients with pulmonary fibrosis.

Indexed as

Idiopathic Pulmonary FibrosisRespiratory System AbnormalitiesDelayed DiagnosisHumansLungRetrospective StudiesX-RaysChest X-rayDiagnostic delayIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosisInterstitial lung abnormalitiesSurvival

Identifiers

PMID36038862
PMCPMC9426013
OpenAlexW4293724008

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.