Identification of Clinical and Radiologic Markers of Disease Presentation in Patients with Scleroderma Related Interstitial Lung Disease (SSc-ILD) in a Cohort from Ontario, Canada
Cohort study identifies clinical predictors of ILD in scleroderma, suggesting improved care strategies.
Key Points
This study aims to identify clinical and radiologic markers associated with interstitial lung disease in patients with scleroderma.
Analyzed data from 162 patients with scleroderma in Ontario registered in a national longitudinal registry.
Compared clinical risk factors between patients who developed interstitial lung disease and those who did not using logistic regression modeling.
Assessed the proportion of patients who received high-resolution CT scans and right heart catheterizations based on chest X-ray and echocardiogram findings.
Interstitial lung disease was linked to diffuse cutaneous scleroderma subtype (p = 0.01) and anti-topoisomerase I positivity (p < 0.01).
Lower baseline DLCO and FVC were associated with the presence of ILD (both p < 0.01).
Among patients with abnormal chest X-rays, 84.6% underwent HRCT, while only 40% with elevated RVSP underwent RHC.