Lower occurrence of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in Maori and Pacific Islanders

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a chronic fibro-proliferative interstitial pneumonia, has not been reported to occur more frequently in any particular race. We have observed that our patients with IPF comprise a proportionately lower number of Maori and Pacific Islanders and set out to evaluate this further.

Retrospective analysis of an IPF database from a single tertiary respiratory institution was undertaken. Demographic and survival data were collected. Ethnicity was compared with 2001 New Zealand census data from the same catchment area.

Eighty-seven cases of IPF were identified. Overall median survival was 46 months. Ethnicity data were available for 84 of the 87 cases. 76/84 (90%) were European, 6/84 (7%) were Asian or Indian, 2/84 (2%) were Maori, and 0/84 (0%) were Pacific Islanders. For Maori and Pacific Islanders, this represented a significant trend in difference when compared with ethnicity data from the hospital catchment population (P < 0.001).

Our department is the tertiary referral centre for pulmonary disease in the upper North Island of New Zealand, and therefore referral centre bias is likely to be low. The preliminary observation that the occurrence of IPF is lower in those of Maori or Polynesian ethnicity warrants further study. This may, in part, help in our understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms in IPF.