Quantitative Interstitial Abnormality Linked to Severe ARD in Smokers

QIA progression associated with increased odds of severe acute respiratory disease events

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, May 6, 2024 (HealthDay News) — For individuals with a smoking history, quantitative interstitial abnormality (QIA) progression is associated with increased odds of severe acute respiratory disease (ARD), according to a study published in the April issue of Radiology.

Bina Choi, M.D., from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and colleagues examined whether QIA progression at computed tomography (CT) is associated with ARD and severe ARD in a secondary analysis of a prospective study involving individuals with a smoking history of 10 pack-years or greater. QIA progression was examined on chest CT at baseline and five-year follow-up (visit 1 and visit 2).

Data were included for 3,972 participants. The researchers observed an association for annual percentage QIA progression with increased odds of one or more intercurrent and subsequent severe ARD events (odds ratios, 1.29 and 1.26, respectively). Compared with those in the lowest quartile (≤−1.7 percent), participants in the highest quartile of QIA progression (≥1.2 percent) had more frequent intercurrent and severe ARD (incidence rate ratios, 1.46 and 1.79, respectively).

“These results suggest that QIA progression may represent changes in several parenchymal processes that have short-term intercurrent as well as long-term subsequent impacts on patient symptoms and exacerbations,” the authors write.

The study was partially funded by contributions made to an industry advisory board composed of several pharmaceutical companies.