The following is an edited excerpt.
New research, released in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggests that a common genetic variant in humans increases the risk of pulmonary fibrosis but also predicts better survival in idiopathic cases, researchers found.
Each copy of the studied allele was independently associated with 6.8 times higher odds of definite CT evidence of pulmonary fibrosis, according David A. Schwartz, MD, of the University of Colorado in Aurora, and colleagues.
But carrying one copy of the studied allele was also associated with 52% to 61% better odds of survival in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, researchers reported in a separate study online in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Carrying two copies conferred 77% to 85% better odds of survival.
As a result of these seemingly conflicting genetic findings, researchers may refocus their efforts and search for environmental factors that contribute to the development of pulmonary fibrosis.
Read the full story here: Gene Linked to Lung Fibrosis and Its Survival