Objective  To investigate the effects of methylprednylone tablets on clinical signs, airway remodeling and fibrosis in elderly patients with interstitial lung disease.

  Methods  A total of 98 elderly patients with interstitial lung disease were randomly divided into observation group and control group, with 49 cases in each group. The control group was treated with anti-infection and anti-fibrosis therapy, and the observation group was treated with methylprednisolone tablets on the basis of the control group. Clinical curative effect, clinical symptoms and signs disappeared time, lung function forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁), FEV₁/FVC, airway remodeling, as well as fibrosis related index matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase1 (TIMP-1), basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and incidence of complications were compared in the two groups.

  Results  The total effective rate of treatment in the observation group was 85.71%, which significantly higher than 67.35% in the control group (P < 0.05). The disappearance time of clinical symptoms and signs in the observation group was significantly shorter than that in the control group (P < 0.05). After treatment, FVC, FEV₁ and FEV₁/FVC in both groups were significantly increased, and their levels in the observation group were significantly better than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The levels of MMP-3 and B-FGF in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05).

  Conclusion  Methylprednylone tablets can effectively improve the clinical symptoms as well as signs as well as lung function, and reduce airway remodeling and pulmonary fibrosis in elderly patients with interstitial lung disease.