Effects of multidisciplinary rehabilitation on body weight loss management in interstitial lung disease

Background & Objectives: Body weight (BW) loss is common in interstitial lung disease (ILD) patients and correlated with poor prognosis. This study aimed to verify whether multidisciplinary interventions combining pulmonary rehabilitation and nutritional management affect BW loss and prognosis in ILD. Methods: We retrospectively examined changes in body composition including BW in ILD patients who were admitted to our hospital for the comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation program. These parameters were measured 6 months before, at the beginning, and 6 months after the program. We investigated the program’s impact on BW loss and its association with survival. Results: Of the 169 program participants, 40 ILD patients with tracked BW trends were enrolled. A significant BW loss was observed during 6 months before the program (p < 0.001); however, the intervention successfully halted further BW loss (p = 0.116). Patients on antifibrotic medications also showed similar BW trends. Notably, patients with pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis showed a significant BW loss before the program (- 1.8 kg, p < 0.001), but exhibited BW gain following the intervention (+ 1.0 kg, p = 0.475). Regarding the survival, BW loss halted group (effective group) had a significantly longer survival (log-rank, p = 0.022). In multivariate analysis, BW loss > 5% was identified as a prognostic indicator. This program successfully halted BW loss and increased survival. Conclusion: Multidisciplinary rehabilitation effectively managed BW, leading to better survival in ILD. In particular, there is currently no treatment for pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis, and multidisciplinary rehabilitation offers a promising treatment option.