Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a nationwide observational study in Japan
The findings of this study question the prior assumption that respiratory infections are key contributors to AE-IPF. While respiratory infections may play a role in some cases, our results suggest that, at least for pre-pandemic respiratory infections, their overall contribution may be less substantial than that previously assumed. This underscores the need to reconsider the pathogenesis of AE-IPF and explore noninfectious mechanisms with regard to its management.
Authors
- Tsunahiko Hirano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5475-0806)
- Masahiro Kakugawa
- Kazuto Matsunaga (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0514-3241)
- Yuichi Ohteru (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-5573-0920)
- Tomoyuki Kakugawa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-8286-2664)
Institutions
- Yamaguchi University (JP)
- Yamaguchi University Hospital (JP)
- Yamaguchi Prefecture Central Hospital (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Respiratory Investigation
- Published
- 2025-11-20
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resinv.2025.11.005
- Primary Topic
- Interstitial Lung Diseases and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00