Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics of Interstitial Lung Diseases in Kuwait: A 9-Year Single-Center Observational Prospective Study.

Abstract

Objective: The data on epidemiological features of interstitial lung diseases (ILD) in the Gulf region are scarce. The aim of this study was to describe the baseline clinical and epidemiological characteristics of ILD patients in a single specialized expertise center in Kuwait.

Subjects and methods: This prospective, observational registry evaluated 167 patients newly diagnosed with ILD via a multidisciplinary team approach between November 2016 and October 2025. The demographics, exposures, comorbidities, and physiological data were systematically collected. Appropriate parametric and nonparametric descriptive statistics were applied to summarize and compare clinical variables across ILD subtypes.

Results: Majority of the patients were male (60.5%), with a mean age of 58.7 years (SD ± 13.2). Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) was the most frequent subtype (34.1%), followed by connective tissue disease-related ILD (CTD-ILD; 23.4%) and hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP; 20.4%). The environmental and occupational exposures were documented in 41.3% and 10.2% of the cohort, respectively, with environmental exposure predominant in the HP group (76.5%). Overall, gastroesophageal reflux disease was the most prevalent comorbidity (in 58.1% of cases). Patients with HP demonstrated the poorest baseline lung function compared to other subtypes, with a mean predicted forced vital capacity of 59.2% (SD ± 14.4).

Conclusion: This 9-year prospective study provides the first real-world ILD dataset from Kuwait. IPF, CTD-ILD, and HP are the predominant clinical phenotypes. Knowledge of comprehensive exposure histories is vital for diagnostic evaluation to identify manageable HP before irreversible fibrosis develops.