Application of the Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Patient-Reported Outcome Measure (IPF-PROM) scale to a Greek IPF patient population and its interrelation with depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life

Abstract Background Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive debilitating lung disease which affects physical and mental well-being. The IPF Patient-Reported Outcome Measure (IPF-PROM) scale is a validated and reliable tool for the self-report of physical and psychological well-being in IPF. Aims and objectives This study aimed to validate a Greek version of the IPF-PROM scale and further investigate its correlation with clinical features of IPF patients and its interrelation with depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Methods This was a two-centre, observational, cross-sectional study, in which IPF patients completed three scales: IPF-PROM, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), an index of depressive symptoms, and Health Survey Questionnaire Short Form-12 (SF-12), an index of HRQoL, at the IPF Outpatient Clinics of two University Hospitals in Greece during 2023–2024. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess severe status of IPF-PROM compared with mild/moderate status. Results The study involved 136 IPF patients (87.9% males) with a mean age of 73.5±7.9 years. Patients were classified overall with moderate disease according to IPF-PROM mean scores (41.7±31.3), particularly in the combined Breathlessness/Fatigue and the Psychological well-being components (40.1 and 43.8, respectively, p>0.050). Patients with severe symptoms, as measured by IPF-PROM, scored higher levels of depressive symptoms on PHQ-9 compared with those with moderate or mild symptoms (17.1, 12.3 and 1.4, respectively, p<0.001) and lower levels of HRQoL in physical (32.6, 34.7 and 47.9, p<0.001) and mental health on SF-12 (23.9, 34.5 and 50.3, p<0.001). Patients with incrementally higher levels of oxygen saturation had lower odds for severe health status according to IPF-PROM (OR=0.83, p=0.018). Conclusions A significant percentage of IPF patients present with impaired health status and symptoms suggestive of depression. The IPF-PROM scale represents a useful tool that may predict impairment of mental health and HRQoL in IPF, with potential utility for clinical practice and research.