Low income and progression free survival in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: An association to uncover

Background Low income is a known prognostic indicator of various chronic respiratory diseases but has not been studied in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We hypothesize that a low income has an adverse prognostic impact on IPF. Methods Patients were selected from the French national prospective cohort COFI. Patient's income was assessed through the median city-level income provided by the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies according to his/her residential address. Patients were classified in two groups as “low income” vs. “higher income” depending on whether their annual city-level income was estimated to be  Results 200 patients were included. The average follow-up was 33.8 ± 22.7 months. Patients in the low income group were more likely to be of non-European origin (42 vs. 17%, P  Conclusions Low income appears to be a prognostic factor of progression free survival in IPF. And patients with low incomes may also be exposed more frequently to occupational exposures and to higher cumulative exposure to fine particles.