Letter to the Editor
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Oct 6, 2024; 12(28): 6247-6249
Published online Oct 6, 2024. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i28.6247
Early pirfenidone treatment enhances lung function in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients
Jin-Wei Zhang
Jin-Wei Zhang, Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4PS, United Kingdom
Author contributions: Zhang JW designed the overall concept and outline of the manuscript; Zhang JW contributed to the discussion and design of the manuscript; Zhang JW contributed to the writing and editing of the manuscript, illustrations, and review of the literature.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: Https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Jin-Wei Zhang, BSc, MSc, PhD, Academic Editor, Professor, Senior Editor, Medical School, University of Exeter, Stocker Rd, Exeter EX4 4PS, United Kingdom. j.zhang5@exeter.ac.uk
Received: June 29, 2024
Revised: July 25, 2024
Accepted: July 30, 2024
Published online: October 6, 2024
Processing time: 44 Days and 23.5 Hours
Abstract

This editorial comments on the study by Lei et al investigating the efficacy of early treatment with pirfenidone on the lung function of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) published. This study evaluates the efficacy of early treatment with pirfenidone on lung function in patients with IPF. The early and advanced stages of IPF are defined, highlighting the drug's benefits. While prior research indicates pirfenidone's effectiveness in advanced IPF, this study focuses on its advantages in early stages. The study emphasizes the importance of computed tomography imaging alongside biochemical data and lung function tests for a comprehensive analysis of symptom relief. Results show that early intervention with pirfenidone significantly reduces disease progression and preserves lung function, underscoring its potential as a critical treatment strategy in early IPF.

Keywords: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; Pirfenidone; Early intervention; Pulmonary function; Inflammatory markers

Core Tip: Early intervention with pirfenidone in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients significantly improves lung function, reduces inflammation, enhances physical endurance, and decreases adverse reactions. These findings underscore the potential of early pirfenidone treatment to alter the disease course and improve patient outcomes, emphasizing its importance in clinical management strategies for IPF.