Benefits of Pulmonary Rehabilitation in Patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Receiving Antifibrotic Drug Treatment

Background: Although patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) often receive treatment with antifibrotic drugs (AFDs) and pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) concurrently, there are no reports on the effect of PR on patients with IPF receiving AFDs. Therefore, we investigated the effect of PR on patients with IPF receiving AFDs. Methods: Eighty-seven eligible patients with IPF (61 male; 72.0 ± 8.1 years; GAP severity stage I/II/III: 26/32/12) were recruited for the study. Patients who completed a 3-month outpatient PR program and those who did not participate were classified into four groups according to use of AFDs: PR group (n = 29), PR+AFD group (n = 11), treatment-free observational group (control group; n = 26), and AFD group (n = 21). There was no significant difference in age, sex, or severity among the groups. Patients were evaluated for physical functions such as 6-min walk distance (6MWD) and muscle strength, dyspnea, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) at baseline and at 3 months. Results: In the PR group, dyspnea and 6MWD showed significant improvement after the 3-month PR program (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). HRQOL was significantly worse at 3 months (p < 0.05) in the AFD group, but not in the other groups. The change in 6MWD from baseline to the 3-month time point was significantly higher in the PR+AFD group than in the AFD groups (p < 0.01). Conclusions: It was suggested that AFD treatment reduced exercise tolerance and HRQOL at 3 months; however, the concurrent use of PR may prevent or mitigate these effects.