Worsening in forced vital capacity (FVC) and diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) at 1year, including a marginal decline in FVC of at least 5% and DLCOof at least 10%, is predictive of markedly reduced survival in fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonitis (fHP), according to a study published in Respirology. Elisabetta Renzoni, PhD, and colleagues investigated the impact of short-term lung function changes in fHP on mortality, recording baseline demographics for 145 consecutive patients with a multi-disciplinary team diagnosis of fHP, as well as baseline and 1-year follow-up of lung function, baseline echocardiographic findings, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cellularity, and all-cause mortality. Baseline lung function severity, age, honeycombing on CT, and echocardiographic pulmonary arterial systolic pressure at 40mm Hg or greater were associated with early mortality, whereas BAL lymphocytosis was associated with improved survival.
