NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) appear to be at increased risk for vascular disease, especially acute coronary syndrome and deep-vein thrombosis, new research shows.

“If you look at them over time, people with IPF have roughly a threefold increased risk of acute coronary syndrome, which is a greater increase than you get from smoking,” Dr. Richard B. Hubbard, from the University of Nottingham, UK, said in a statement.

As reported in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine for December, Dr. Hubbard and colleagues analyzed data from 920 incident cases of IPF and 3593 matched controls to assess the possible association with vascular disease, which had been identified in a few earlier studies.

“There was an increased risk of acute coronary syndrome (odds ratio, 1.53), angina (OR, 1.84), and deep-vein thrombosis (OR, 1.98) in the period before diagnosis of IPF,” the investigators found.

After the IPF diagnosis, the odds ratioss for acute coronary syndrome and deep-vein thrombosis climbed to 3.14 and 3.39, respectively, the report indicates.

“People with IPF have got a very bad outlook, and we may need to focus on other aspects of their health,” Dr. Hubbard said. “The current guidelines are focused on palliative care so that people get oxygen and their symptoms treated, but maybe patients should go on heart (disease) prevention treatments right away.”

Reference:
Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2008;178:1257-1261.