TY - JOUR T1 - Is it safe to prescribe benzodiazepines or opioids for dyspnoea in interstitial lung disease? JF - Breathe JO - Breathe SP - 137 LP - 139 DO - 10.1183/20734735.0015-2019 VL - 15 IS - 2 AU - Lydia J. Finney Y1 - 2019/06/01 UR - http://breathe.ersjournals.com/content/15/2/137.abstract N2 - Interstitial lung disease (ILD) encompasses a wide range of pulmonary fibrotic diseases. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most common form of ILD with an incidence range of 3–9 cases per 100  000 per year for Europe and North America, with most studies showing an increase in incidence over time [1]. Dyspnoea, which is defined by the American Thoracic Society as “a subjective experience of breathing discomfort that consists of qualitatively distinct sensations that vary in intensity”, is a common and debilitating symptom for patients with ILD [2, 3]. However, there is some reluctance to prescribe opiates or benzodiazepines for patients with advanced lung disease due to concern about adverse respiratory effects [4]. To date, there have been few studies investigating the safety of benzodiazepine and opiate use among patients with ILD. Bajwah et al. [5] therefore sought to investigate the association between benzodiazepines and opioids on the risk of hospital admission and death in patients with respiratory failure secondary to ILD.Low-dose opioids and benzodiazepines are not associated with increased risk of hospitalisation or death in patients with respiratory failure secondary to interstitial lung disease http://ow.ly/SCTl30o9bWq ER -