Depression and its association with mortality in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: A real-world data analysis

Comorbid depression in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has been linked to reduced quality of life and worsened symptoms. However, the incidence of depression and its association with mortality in IPF, based on large-scale epidemiological data, remains unclear. This study investigated the clinical significance of depression in patients with IPF using the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups of Japan.

We analysed data from 31,386 patients with IPF. The prevalence of depression at IPF diagnosis, its post-diagnosis incidence rates and its associations with mortality and anti-fibrotic therapy were evaluated using propensity score matching, landmark analysis and a Cox model with time-dependent covariates.

The prevalence of depression at IPF diagnosis was 6.7 % and the annual incidence rate post-diagnosis was 32.4 cases per 1000 person-years. Pre-existing depression was not associated with mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 0.978; 95 % confidence interval [CI] 0.887-1.080). Conversely, depression developing post-IPF diagnosis significantly increased the mortality risk (HR 2.71; 95 % CI 2.55-2.87). While pre-existing depression was not associated with the cumulative initiation rate of anti-fibrotic therapy, depression developing post-IPF diagnosis was associated with a lower cumulative initiation rate.

Depression arising after an IPF diagnosis was associated with both a lower cumulative initiation rate of anti-fibrotic therapy and increased mortality, emphasising the need for the early detection and management of mental health issues in patients with IPF. Given the high incidence of depression post-IPF diagnosis, integrating mental health care into comprehensive management strategies is crucial for improving patient outcomes.