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Background: The progressive course of pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) is observed with variable prevalence in different entities of fibrosing interstitial lung disease (fILD). PPF is characterised by worsening respiratory symptoms, declining lung function and increasing extent of fibrosis on high-resolution computer tomography. In Germany, data are limited on the characteristics and management of such patients., Methods/design: INSIGHTS-ILD is a prospective observational longitudinal registry designed to describe characteristics, management and course of newly diagnosed (incident) and prevalent patients with fILD on the long term. The registry uses a non-probability sampling approach to collect data on characteristics, therapeutic interventions, health-related quality of life and health economic parameters. It is planned to include 900 patients in ambulatory care in about 30 expert sites over three years. The study has been initiated in December 2021, and currently (January 2023) follows 360 patients., Discussion: The registry is expected to provide much-needed data on the characteristics, management, and trajectories of patients fILD in Germany. The start of the study comes at a time when new treatment options are available for PPF. We hypothesize that PPF represents a broad clinical phenotype that is differentially influenced by inflammatory and fibrotic pathomechanisms that need to be treated with anti-inflammatory and/or anti-fibrotic treatment strategies. This registry will allow comparisons with other countries. Gap analyses based on current guidelines for management of these patients will be possible. Trial registration DRKS00027389 (registered on 7.12.2021), BfArM NIS 7562., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: The overall incidence of interstitial lung disease and disease-associated mortality have been found on the rise. Hospitalizations for interstitial lung disease are typically caused by airway infection or the acute exacerbation of the underlying disease. Seasonal variance in ambient air pollution has recently been linked to exacerbation and mortality. We sought to examine the seasonal pattern of hospitalizations in Germany, use of mechanical ventilation, and in-hospital mortality on a year-by-year basis to identify their overall trend and to characterize seasonal patterns. Methods: The national in-patient database of the federal statistical office of Germany was searched for cases of interstitial lung disease. Results: A total of 130,366 hospitalizations for ILD occurred from 2005 to 2015. Time series data were examined for seasonality using X-11 statistics. The incidence of hospitalizations, mechanical ventilation, and in-hospital mortality show clear seasonal peaks in the cold season. The observed seasonality cannot be attributed to the variance of selected comorbidities. Also, there is a significant overall upward trend regarding hospitalization counts, especially in the use of non-invasive ventilation. Conclusion: Time series analysis of in-hospital data shows an ILD-related rise of hospitalizations, in-hospital mortality, and non-invasive ventilation. This emphasizes a growing importance of interstitial lung diseases for health-care systems. Strong seasonality is seen in these variables. Data therefore support previous studies of ILD exacerbation. More research on infectious causes and environmental factors is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]