Gender differences in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: are men and women equal or not?

Background Few studies analyzed gender-related outcomes and characteristics differences of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The aim of the study was to explore gender differences in a French IPF cohort. Methods 236 patients with incident IPF were included in the multicentric longitudinal prospective cohort COhorte FIbrose (COFI), and followed for 5 years. Men and women were compared for characteristics atinclusion (t-test, Chi2 or ANOVA) and survival (Log rank, Cox model). Results The population consisted of 51 (22%) women and 185(78%) men. At inclusion women significantly differed from men for an older age (> 65 years, 78 vs. 61%, P = 0.028), a lower proportion of smokers (P Conclusions At diagnosis women appear to have a distinct imaging pattern and a better FVC, which may be due to less exposure history compared to men. However, outcomes remain comparable in both sexes. Less access to lung transplantation in women may be due to age and comorbidities.