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Table 3 Incidence rate ratio (IRR) of several risk factors for patient delay, healthcare delay and total delay, assessed by multivariate negative binomial regression

From: Risk factors for diagnostic delay in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

 

Patient delay

Healthcare delay

Total delay

IRR

95% CI

p-value

IRR

95% CI

p-value

IRR

95% CI

p-value

Patient characteristics

 Age

0.97

0.92–1.02

0.24

1.03

1.01–1.06

0.004*

1.01

0.98–1.03

0.59

 Male sex

3.84

1.17–11.36

0.006*

1.01

0.68–1.49

0.95

0.99

0.66–1.48

0.97

 Ever smokers

1.34

0.48–3.35

0.51

0.78

0.54–1.11

0.18

0.79

0.54–1.14

0.19

 Higher education

2.16

0.91–5.18

0.06

1.28

0.91–1.81

0.14

1.15

0.83–1.60

0.39

 Previous use of inhalation therapy

4.68

1.77–13.37

0.0004*

1.98

1.38–2.90

< 0.0001*

1.99

1.40–2.88

< 0.0001*

Clinical findings at diagnosis

 DLCO (%)

1.05

1.02–1.08

0.005*

1.02

1.01–1.03

0.006*

1.02

1.00–1.03

0.02*

 FVC (%)

1.02

0.99–1.05

0.06

1.00

0.99–1.01

0.96

1.00

0.99–1.01

0.67

 Airway obstruction

1.10

0.23–3.86

0.89

1.57

0.86–2.66

0.11

1.61

0.94–2.61

0.07

 SGRQ total score

1.03

1.01–1.07

0.004*

1.01

1.00–1.03

0.003*

1.02

1.01–1.03

0.001*

 UIP pattern on HRCT

0.84

0.30–2.11

0.71

1.32

0.89–1.95

0.16

1.47

1.01–2.11

0.04*

  1. CI confidence interval, DLCO diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide, 6MWT six-minute walk test, SGRQ St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire, HRCT high resolution computed tomography, UIP usual interstitial pneumonia *p-value < 0.05
  2. Values of DLCO, FVC and SGRQ-score are obtained at the time of diagnosis. Airway obstruction is defined as FEV1/FVC < 0.7