Clusters of comorbidities in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Introduction: Prior comorbidity studies in patients with IPF have mainly been retrospective focusing on individual comorbidities, but associations between multiple comorbidities have not previously been explored. This prospective study aimed to comprehensively assess comorbidities in a large, real-world, multicentre cohort of IPF patients and to analyse associations between the comorbidities.Methods: Comorbidities were assessed using scans, measurements, medications, medical history and questionnaires at three visits during a 12-month observation period. Associations between comorbidities were analysed using self-organizing maps.Results: One-hundred and fifty patients with IPF were included from the three tertiary ILD centres in Denmark. One or more comorbidities were present in all except one patient (0.7, and the majority of patients suffered from multimorbidity. Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, arterial hypertension, emphysema, obstructive sleep apnoea and hypercholesterolaemia were frequent comorbidities. Four clusters of comorbidities with specific characteristics were identified (see table).Conclusions: The majority of IPF patients suffered from multimorbidity and cardiovascular, respiratory and gastro-intestinal comorbidities were common. The four comorbidity clusters could represent phenotypes in patients with IPF. Prevention and treatment of comorbidities will benefit from increased awareness and knowledge of comorbidities in patients with IPF.FootnotesCite this article as: European Respiratory Journal 2020; 56: Suppl. 64, 755.This abstract was presented at the 2020 ERS International Congress, in session textquotedblleftRespiratory viruses in the "pre COVID-19" eratextquotedblright.This is an ERS International Congress abstract. No full-text version is available. Further material to accompany this abstract may be available at www.ers-education.org (ERS member access only).