A Finnish study suggests using the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale to identify IPF patients needing palliative care.
The study, “mMRC dyspnoea scale indicates impaired quality of life and increased pain in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis,” appeared in the journal ERJ Open Research.
Despite advances in drug treatments for IPF, no cure yet exists — and medication can only slow the decline in lung function. For now, lung transplant is the only treatment of proven benefit for patients with the disease. Current guidelines recommend early-integrated palliative care as well as early referrals for lung transplant and drug treatment.
