Fast Five Quiz: Diagnosing Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Guy W. Soo Hoo, MD, MPH

Disclosures

February 04, 2021

Tests that help clinicians to diagnose other types of ILD include ANA, RF, and anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies. Although ANA and RF results may be positive in 30% of patients with IPF, titer levels are not usually high. High ANA and RF findings are associated with some connective tissue disorders (eg, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren syndrome), as are elevated anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody titers.

D-dimer and bilateral lower extremity Doppler studies assist in diagnosing deep venous thrombosis, not IPF.

Arterial blood gas may reveal chronic hypoxemia, PFT demonstrates nonspecific ventilatory defect and reduced diffusion capacity for carbon dioxide, and the 6MWT is typically reduced; however, none of these studies can pinpoint the cause of ILD, and they are nonspecific markers of disease.

Learn more about the differential diagnosis of IPF.

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