He lost 12 kilograms and went to the doctor. A checkup revealed that he had "Sjögren's disease" complicated by pulmonary fibrosis! Survey reveals: 60% of patients have never had their lung function tested
A 58-year-old man had a fever for several days in mid-June and went to see a doctor. The doctor found that his lungs had severe water accumulation and that his pulmonary fibrosis had exceeded 30%. After emergency hospitalization, he was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease “Sjögren’s disease” complicated by pulmonary fibrosis. , the man was shocked to realize that the symptoms of dry eyes and dry mouth in the past were because he had already suffered from Sjogren’s disease. It has been more than 2 months since he was diagnosed. Not only has he lost 12 kilograms, but as the disease progresses rapidly, the area of pulmonary fibrosis has expanded to 50%. During the hospitalization, he suffered from severe coughing and breathlessness, and his physical condition suddenly aged to that of 85 years old.
Fortunately, after discussion with an interdisciplinary team, it was determined that his condition meets the clinical definition of Sjögren’s disease complicated by pulmonary fibrosis and progressive pulmonary fibrosis. He has recently applied for anti-fibrosis drugs and hopes that subsequent drug intervention can stabilize the condition and delay the disease. Lung deterioration.
Progressive pulmonary fibrosis has a huge impact on the lives of patients with autoimmune diseases, including respiratory symptoms, acute exacerbation, and decreased lung function. It not only affects the quality of life, but may also be fatal.
The mortality rate of autoimmune diseases complicated by pulmonary fibrosis may be higher than that of cancer!
Autoimmune diseases not only affect the patient’s immune system, but may also cause a variety of complications. Among them, pulmonary fibrosis is a common and serious comorbidity. Because the symptoms are non-specific, patients are easy to ignore them in daily life and are also autoimmune diseases. One of the main causes of death among immune populations. Zheng Tiancai, chairman of the Taiwan Rheumatology Association, pointed out that according to statistics, 1 in 10 patients with autoimmune diseases will suffer from pulmonary fibrosis. Once the immune system abnormally invades the lungs, a large amount of abnormal scar tissue will be produced, and gradually It weakens the oxygen-carrying capacity of the lungs, causing irreversible damage, ultimately leading to respiratory failure and a higher risk of death than many cancers.
Secretary-General Lu Junji of the Taiwan Rheumatology Association, who treated the above-mentioned cases, said that pulmonary fibrosis is the most common and serious complication of Sjögren’s disease. In addition, the patient did not know that he had Sjögren’s disease at first, which led to the condition having worsened by the time he was diagnosed. Once pulmonary fibrosis is complicated, in addition to possible damage to lung function, it will also increase the risk of infection or respiratory failure, and may even worsen acutely within 1-2 months, highlighting the serious consequences of ignoring pulmonary fibrosis. Secretary-General Lu Junji emphasized that it is crucial for autoimmune people to establish regular lung function testing. If abnormal test values are found, high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) can be used to evaluate the lung condition and intervene early.
Anti-pulmonary fibrosis drugs delay the deterioration of lung function. Patients may miss the golden period of treatment due to “1 condition”
The primary goal of pulmonary fibrosis treatment is to promptly delay the deterioration of lung function and stabilize the condition. Clinical trials have proven that early use of anti-pulmonary fibrosis drugs can reduce the rate of lung function damage by 57% and reduce the occurrence of acute exacerbations and deaths by 74%. Risks, it is recommended that patients should actively receive treatment after being diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis to preserve lung function as much as possible.
However, anti-pulmonary fibrosis drugs have expanded the scope of health insurance benefits since 2023, and the application conditions must be reviewed in advance. Since many patients have not yet established the habit of regularly testing lung function, when they need to use health insurance drugs for treatment, they may not be able to provide them. “Medical records and relevant examination reports that can prove the progression of the disease within the past year” result in the inability to timely administer medication and delay the golden period of treatment. Secretary-General Lu Junji reminded that “pulmonary function test records” are necessary to apply for anti-pulmonary fibrosis drugs. If patients do not have test records yet, they can discuss with the doctor and arrange the first test to understand their current lung health status. In addition, be prepared in advance for possible treatment in the future.
Survey: Up to 60% of patients have not tested their lung function! More than 70% rely on doctors for arrangements
In order to gain a deeper understanding of the awareness of lung function health among people with autoimmune diseases, the “Lung Function Testing Behavior” survey jointly launched by the Taiwan Rheumatology Association and the Patients Association showed that up to 60% of patients have never had any lung function tests, even though For those with pulmonary function test records, more than 50% of the patients had last test more than a year ago. In addition, nearly 60% of the patients said they had the common symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis, such as “wheezing, coughing, and tiredness,” and 30% of them lasted for more than eight weeks.
However, what is worrying is that 40% of patients have not had a pulmonary function test. Further observation of the reasons why patients undergo pulmonary function tests shows that more than 70% of patients rely on allergy, rheumatology and immunology departments and thoracic physicians for arrangements, even if they develop related symptoms. Under the circumstances, only a few patients took the initiative to discuss with doctors, which shows that the autoimmune group is not vigilant enough about lung health. In addition, the survey results also found that more than 30% of the patients’ awareness of pulmonary fibrosis needs to be strengthened, and they are not even aware that they are a high-risk group.
Secretary-General Lu Junji said that patients generally subjectively believe that they have a high awareness of the disease. However, the early symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis are not obvious, and patients can easily mistake cough symptoms for general respiratory diseases. Clinical observation shows that more than 90% of patients have no awareness of pulmonary fibrosis. There is still a lack of basic understanding, and there are few complaints of symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, and fatigue, thus missing the opportunity for early diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, only by establishing the concept and behavior of regularly testing lung function can we have the opportunity to detect and diagnose lung cancer as early as possible. Interventional treatment to prevent continued deterioration of lung function.
In September, International Pulmonary Fibrosis Month, high-risk groups should pay attention to the symptoms of “wheezing, coughing, and tiredness”
In recent years, patient associations have paid increasing attention to comorbidities and have held relevant health education lectures from time to time. Zhang Lingyuan, chairman of the Taiwan Rheumatoid Arthritis Friends Association, explained that in order to help patients better track and manage their lungs Health, in the future, will cooperate with other autoimmune disease patient associations to issue a “Lung Function Tracking Card” to provide patients with the ability to record lung function test values and encourage independent observation of changes in values to strengthen awareness of regular lung function testing.
In response to the arrival of International Pulmonary Fibrosis Month in September, Chairman Zheng Tiancai called on all high-risk groups to pay attention to their own lung health. Once symptoms of “wheezing, coughing, and tiredness” occur, they should discuss with a doctor as soon as possible to arrange imaging examinations to evaluate the lung health. Only by reducing the possibility of fibrosis can we have a chance to prevent the continued progression of progressive pulmonary fibrosis and prevent acute deterioration of the lungs.
