An Official ATS/ERS/JRS/ALAT Statement: Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: Evidence-based Guidelines for Diagnosis and Management

Abstract

This document is an international evidence-based guideline on the diagnosis and management of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and is a collaborative effort of the American Thoracic Society, the European Respiratory Society, the Japanese Respiratory Society, and the Latin American Thoracic Association. It represents the current state of knowledge regarding idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and contains sections on definition and epidemiology, risk factors, diagnosis, natural history, staging and prognosis, treatment, and monitoring disease course. For the diagnosis and treatment sections, pragmatic GRADE evidence-based methodology was applied in a question-based format. For each diagnosis and treatment question, the committee graded the quality of the evidence available (high, moderate, low, or very low), and made a recommendation (yes or no, strong or weak). Recommendations were based on majority vote. It is emphasized that clinicians must spend adequate time with patients to discuss patients' values and preferences and decide on the appropriate course of action.

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Affiliated Institutions

• University of Ulsan KR
• University Hospital of Alexandroupolis GR
• Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias MX
• Tulane University US
• University of Colorado Cancer Center US
• University of Modena and Reggio Emilia IT
• Hospital Universitário da Universidade de São Paulo BR
• ENT and Allergy US
• Mater Misericordiae University Hospital IE
• University of Michigan US
• University of Colorado Denver US
• Imperial College London GB
• Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust GB
• University of British Columbia CA
• University of Washington US
• University of Colorado Boulder US
• University of California, San Francisco US
• Tohoku University JP
• National Jewish Health US
• The University of Osaka JP
• Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München DE
• WinnMed US
• Royal Brompton Hospital GB
• Hospital Universitario de La Princesa ES

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