Fibrosis pulmonar en el Hospital Teodoro Maldonado Carbo (HETMC) : patrones clínicos, comorbilidades y desenlaces fatales entre los años 2020-2022.

Abstract

Among all interstitial lung diseases, pulmonary fibrosis has the worst prognosis, characterized by progressive scarring of lung tissue. Patients are usually under constant monitoring because the disease progresses rapidly, requiring a gradual assessment of their respiratory capacity to monitor the progress of this pathology. It can be idiopathic, secondary to other autoimmune diseases, or exposure to toxins. To conduct this research, a retrospective, observational, and descriptive analysis was used of a database provided by the Teodoro Maldonado Carbo Specialty Hospital (HETMC) in Guayaquil, Ecuador. This health institution has treated 3,632 interstitial lung diseases during the 2020-2022 period, of which 566 were diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. For this study, we used a random sample of 230 patients. The results of this research demonstrated that dyspnea is the main symptom at diagnosis, and that comorbidities play a key role in the development of this condition and in the death of patients. Those with comorbidities are the most likely to die, and those between the ages of 60 and 80.