Effects of corticosteroids and antigen avoidance in hypersensitivity pneumonitis

What is it about?

Although corticosteroid (CS) treatment and antigen avoidance (AA) are generally considered first-line treatment of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP), no study has evaluated the effects of these therapies. We showed that CS treatment and AA had a beneficial effect in non-fibrotic HP cases, whereas no effect of CS was found in fibrotic HP cases. Whether AA conferred a beneficial effect in fibrotic HP is still unclear.

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Why is it important?

As CS treatment has important side-effects and antigen avoidance (e.g. removing ones pigeons) might have an emotional impact on HP patients, the benefits of these therapies should outweigh the costs. This study has provided an evidence basis for these therapies in non-fibrotic HP. As the beneficial effect could not be replicated for fibrotic HP, the use of these therapies should be questioned in fibrotic HP.