Determinants of health-related quality of life decline in interstitial lung disease.

Around a third of ILD patients experienced a clinically relevant HRQL deterioration in a 12-month period, which was associated with baseline lung function values in all K-BILD domains. As lung function values are time-dependent variables with possible improvements, in contrast to age and ILD subtype, it, thus, seems important to improve lung function and prevent its decline in order to maintain HRQL on the possibly highest level.