Consideration of mycophenolate mofetil for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Medical Hypotheses
E L Altschuler

Abstract

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is an inflammatory disorder of the lungs of unknown etiology, with no effective treatment. Besides the recent finding of utility of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in a case of refractory interstitial lung disease associated with ulcerative colitis, I suggest that there are at least three other reasons to consider MMF for IPF. Previously, MMF has been found to be effective as salvage therapy in a number of diseases. MMF might work for IPF not only by white cell suppression, but also in vivo against proliferation of primary human pulmonary fibroblasts. There is one group of patients for whom, logically, MMF should be most strongly considered--those with a high likelihood of receiving a lung transplant. As MMF is often part of the post-transplant immunosuppressive regimen in these patients, logic would seem to dictate MMF should be considered for use before subjecting the patient to major surgery.

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Citations

Dec 3, 2011·Pulmonary Medicine·Argyris TzouvelekisDemosthenes Bouros
Jan 13, 2005·American Journal of Transplantation : Official Journal of the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons·Marcus BahraPeter Neuhaus
Apr 15, 2017·The American Journal of Case Reports·Kazuhiro TakahashiJason E Denny

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