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Evidence summaries

Domiciliary Oxygen for Interstitial Lung Disease

Oxygen therapy may not increase survival in patients with interstitial pulmonary fibrosis. Level of evidence: "C"

The quality of evidence is downgraded by study limitations (the methods of randomization and blinding were not adequately described) and by imprecise results (few patients and wide confidence intervals).

Summary

A Cochrane review [Abstract] 1 included 1 study of 62 patients less than 79 years old with interstitial pulmonary fibrosis and hypoxaemia. Forty nine of the patients had a diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and 13 had pulmonary fibrosis secondary to other diseases. At 3 years, there was no difference in mortality between domiciliary oxygen and no oxygen therapy groups (Peto OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.16 to 6.26). The mortality in both groups was approximately 91%. Data on quality of life was not reported.

    References

    • Crockett AJ, Cranston JM, Antic N. Domiciliary oxygen for interstitial lung disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2001;(3):CD002883 [Review content assessed as up-to-date: 27 October 2010]. [PubMed]

Primary/Secondary Keywords