Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 30, 2026
Refined Murine Model of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Published on: June 17, 2025
Characterizing idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients using US Medicare-advantage health plan claims data
Kathleen Mortimer1, Nadine Hartmann2, Christine Chan1
1Optum Epidemiology, Boston, MA, USA.
Background:
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a rare life-threating interstitial lung disease (ILD). This study characterizes demographics, health care utilization, and comorbidities among elderly IPF patients and estimates prevalence and incidence rates for selected outcomes.
Methods:
Cohort study using a large US health insurance database (Optum's Medicare Advantage plan).
Inclusion Criteria:
≥ 1 diagnosis code for IPF (2008 - 2014), age ≥65 years, no diagnosis of IPF or other ILD in prior 12 months. Demographics, health care utilization, comorbidities and incidence rates for various outcomes were estimated. Follow-up continued until the earliest of: health plan disenrollment, death, a claim for another known cause of ILD, or end of the study period.
Results:
4,716 patients were eligible; 53.4% had IPF diagnostic testing. Median age was 77.5 years, 50.3% were male, median follow-up time was 0.8 years. Incidence rates ranged from 1.0/1,000 person-years (lung transplantation) to 374.3/1,000 person-years (arterial hypertension). Baseline characteristics and incidence rates were similar for cohorts of patients with and without IPF diagnostic testing.
Conclusions:
Elderly IPF patients experience a variety of comorbidities before and after IPF diagnosis. Therapies for IPF and for the associated comorbidities may reduce morbidity and associated health care utilization of these patients.
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