Colchicine in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis

There is no standard or known optimal treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Corticosteroids have been used with widely variable benefit. Colchicine has been reported to suppress fibroblast growth factors and to inhibit collagen deposition. A potential role has been proposed for colchicine in the treatment of fibrotic pulmonary diseases. We retrospectively assessed the outcome of 23 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in whom colchicine was used as empiric treatment. Eighteen patients had received prior corticosteroid therapy. By clinical and pulmonary function criteria, five patients (22 percent) improved following colchicine, nine (39 percent) remained stable, and nine (39 percent) worsened. The average duration of follow-up was 22 months. Despite limitations of this retrospective analysis, colchicine may be of benefit in pulmonary fibrosis and should be considered for further clinical trials.