LIPI predicts survival of IPF patients

Use of the lung immune prognostic index (LIPI) can predict the survival of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and may even help in IPF management, suggests a recent study.

A group of researchers conducted a multicentre, retrospective, observation study to examine the association between LIPI and the survival of patients with idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs). In total, 460 patients with IIPs were included in the exploratory cohort and 414 in the validation cohort. Of these, 159 and 159 patients had IPF, while 301 and 255 had non-IPF, respectively.

IPF patients with a low LIPI in the exploratory cohort demonstrated significantly better survival than those with a high LIPI (median, 5.6 vs 3.9 years; p=0.016). The predictive ability of LIPI as regards survival of IPF patients was confirmed in the validation cohort (median, 8.5 vs 4.4 years; p=0.003).

Multivariate analysis revealed that LIPI was independently predictive of survival in patients with IPF. In addition, no significant association was observed between LIPI and survival of non-IPF patients in both the exploratory and validation cohorts.

LIPI is “a simple index calculated from the blood lactate dehydrogenase level and derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio,” according to the researchers. It is believed to be associated with host immune status.