Introduction: Epidemiological and clinical data of progressive fibrosing interstitial lung disease (PF-ILD) in Portugal are scarce. Therefore, a nationwide registry has been established to collect real-world data.
Objectives: Characterize Portugal's PF-ILD epidemiology and patient profile.
Materials and Methods: This national, non-interventional, multicenter study collected data from adult PF-ILD patients across 14 specialized Portuguese hospitals, using ATS/ERS/JTS/ALAT 2018 and INBUILD criteria.
Results: Between January 27, 2023, and February 28, 2025, a total of 1,270 PF-ILD patients were identified (726 enrolled in the study, 527 from aggregated database, and 17 from counter logs), corresponding to a prevalence of 26.3 cases per 100,000 persons (95% CI: 24.6–28.0) and an incidence of 6.5 per 100,000 person-years (95% CI: 5.9–7.1). Most patients were male (67.4%) with a mean (SD) age of 73.7 (10.0) years. The most frequent diagnosis was IPF (n=382, 53.4%), followed by HP (n=159, 22.2%), which was the most predominant non‑IPF PF‑ILD subtype (figure 1). Family history of ILD was reported in 8.8% (n=63) of the patients. Environmental exposures were reported by 58.0% (n=413), primarily to birds (68.7%; n=281), followed by humidity/mold (18.6%, n=77). Common comorbidities included arterial hypertension (56.2%; n=400) and diabetes (24.4%; n=174). Over 90% of patients were former and never-smokers (91.4%; n=381).
At baseline, IPF patients presented relatively preserved FVC (mean FVC 85.5%, SD 19.9) and DLCO of 50.8% (SD 17.8), compared to HP (mean FVC 64.6%, SD 18) or uIIP (mean DLCO of 43.3%, SD 18.1).
Conclusions: This interim analysis provides epidemiological and clinical characterization of PF-ILD patients in Portugal, revealing a significant health burden, with patients often experiencing multiple comorbidities, older age at diagnosis and baseline heterogeneity in lung function across ILD subtypes. Environmental and occupational exposures are common and should be routinely assessed. These results highlight the need for ongoing research and targeted management approaches to address the complexity of PF-ILD in clinical practice.