The potential utility of anterior upper lobe honeycomb-like lesion in interstitial lung disease associated with connective tissue disease.
Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is associated with high morbidity and mortality in patients with connective tissue disease (CTD). Because some patients with CTD overlap present with ILD first, with CTD diagnosed later, specific radiologic signs are needed to help differentiate each CTD or CTD-ILD from idiopathic ILD.
To determine whether specific CT findings can help differentiate CTD as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic sclerosis (SSc), or polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM).
We analyzed 143 consecutive ILD patients with RA, SSc, or PM/DM. We assessed diagnostic accuracy of CT findings of CTD-ILD, CT pattern, and signs including "anterior upper lobe honeycomb-like lesion" and "low attenuation area (LAA) within an interstitial abnormality" for each CTD-ILD. Prognostic predictors were determined using Cox regression models.
Subjects were 78 patients with RA-ILD, 38 with SSc-ILD, 24 with PM/DM-ILD, and 3 with overlapping CTD-ILD. High frequency of anterior upper lobe honeycomb-like lesion suggests that CTD-ILD is due to RA-ILD (22%) rather than SSc-ILD (8%) or PM/DM-ILD (8%), whereas LAA within an interstitial abnormality suggests that CTD-ILD is due to SSc-ILD (26%) rather than RA-ILD (4%) or PM/DM-ILD (0%). Multivariate analysis showed that while not associated with survival, current or ex-smoker, honeycombing, and acute exacerbation were negative prognostic factors of mortality.
The tendency is high for RA-ILD, in which anterior upper lobe honeycomb-like lesion is a specific feature, to show UIP or NSIP/UIP pattern, combined emphysema, and honeycombing; SSc-ILD to show NSIP pattern and LAA within an interstitial abnormality; and PM/DM-ILD to show NSIP pattern and non-honeycombing.
Yamakawa H
,Ogura T
,Sato S
,Nishizawa T
,Kawabe R
,Oba T
,Kato A
,Horikoshi M
,Akasaka K
,Amano M
,Kuwano K
,Sasaki H
,Baba T
,Matsushima H
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Distribution and clinical significance of anti-carbamylation protein antibodies in rheumatological diseases among the Chinese Han population.
Several studies have demonstrated that anti-carbamylation protein antibodies (Anti-CarPA) are persistent in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis (SSC), primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS), and interstitial lung disease associated with RA (RA-ILD). However, the relationship between anti-CarPA and other rheumatic diseases (RDs) and non-RA-ILD is not known till now. This study sought to examine the presence of anti-CarPA in Chinese Han patients with RDs and its clinical significance.
The study included 90 healthy controls (HCs) and 300 patients with RDs, including RA, SLE, polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM), pSS, SSC, spondyloarthritis (SpA), anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies associated with vasculitis (AAV), undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD), and Behcet's disease (BD). Antibodies against carbamylated human serum albumin were detected using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Correlations between clinical and laboratory parameters were analyzed.
Serum levels of anti-CarPA in RA (34.43 ± 33.34 ng/ml), SLE (21.12 ± 22.23 ng/ml), pSS (16.32 ± 13.54 ng/ml), PM/DM (30.85 ± 17.34 ng/ml), SSC (23.53 ± 10.70 ng/ml), and UCTD (28.35 ± 21.91 ng/ml) were higher than those of anti-CarPA in the HCs (7.30 ± 5.05 ng/ml). The concentration of serum anti-CarPA was higher in patients with rheumatic disease-related interstitial lung disease (RD-ILD), especially RA-ILD, PM/DM-ILD, and pSS-ILD. Patients with RD-ILD who tested positive for anti-CarPA were more likely to have a more severe radiographic classification (grades II, p = 0.045; grades III, p = 0.003). Binary logistic regression analysis suggested that anti-CarPA had an association with ILD in RA (p = 0.033), PM/DM (p = 0.039), and pSS (p = 0.048). Based on receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis, anti-CarPA cutoffs best discriminated ILD in RA (>32.59 ng/ml, p = 0.050), PM/DM (>23.46 ng/ml, p = 0.038), and pSS (>37.08 ng/ml, p = 0.040). Moreover, serum levels of anti-CarPA were correlated with antibodies against transcription intermediary factor 1 complex (anti-TIF1) (R = -0.28, p = 0.044), antibodies against glycyl-transfer ribonucleic acid synthetase (anti-EJ) (R = 0.30, p = 0.031), and antibodies against melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (anti-MDA5) (R = 0.35, p = 0.011).
Serum anti-CarPA could be detected in patients with RA, PM/DM, pSS, SSC, and UCTD among the Chinese Han population. And it may also assist in identifying ILD in patients with RA, PM/DM, and pSS, which emphasized attention to the lung involvement in anti-CarPA-positive patients.
Dong R
,Sun Y
,Xu W
,Xiang W
,Li M
,Yang Q
,Zhu L
,Ma Z
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《Frontiers in Immunology》
Connective tissue disease-related interstitial lung disease (CTD-ILD) and interstitial lung abnormality (ILA): Evolving concept of CT findings, pathology and management.
Connective tissue diseases (CTDs) demonstrating features of interstitial lung disease (ILD) include systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic sclerosis (SSc), dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), Sjogren syndrome (SS), and mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD). On histopathology of lung biopsy in CTD-related ILDs (CTD-ILDs), multi-compartment involvement is an important clue, and when present, should bring CTD to the top of the list of etiologic differential diagnoses. Diverse histologic patterns including nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP), usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP), organizing pneumonia, apical fibrosis, diffuse alveolar damage, and lymphoid interstitial pneumonia can be seen on histology in patients with CTD-ILDs. Although proportions of ILDs vary, the NSIP pattern accounts for a large proportion, especially in SSc, DM and/or PM and MCTD, followed by the UIP pattern. In RA patients, interstitial lung abnormality (ILA) is reported to occur in approximately 20-60% of individuals of which 35-45% will have progression of the CT abnormality. Subpleural distribution and greater baseline ILA involvement are risk factors associated with disease progression. Asymptomatic CTD-ILDs or ILA patients with normal lung function and without evidence of disease progression can be followed without treatment. Immunosuppressive or antifibrotic agents for symptomatic and/or fibrosing CTD-ILDs can be used in patients who require treatment.
Yoo H
,Hino T
,Hwang J
,Franks TJ
,Han J
,Im Y
,Lee HY
,Chung MP
,Hatabu H
,Lee KS
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《European Journal of Radiology Open》
Comprehensive assessment of myositis-specific autoantibodies in polymyositis/dermatomyositis-associated interstitial lung disease.
Myositis-specific autoantibodies (MSAs) are associated with clinical phenotypes in polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM). No study has investigated the clinical features based on comprehensive MSA assessment in PM/DM-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD). We aimed to determine the practical significance of MSAs in PM/DM-ILD.
Sixty consecutive PM/DM-ILD patients were retrospectively analysed. Serum MSAs were comprehensively measured using immunoprecipitation assay. Clinical features and prognosis were compared among MSA subgroups.
Twenty-six (43.3%) PM/DM-ILD patients were anti-aminoacyl tRNA-synthetase antibody-positive (anti-ARS-positive), 15 (25.0%) were anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 antibody-positive (anti-MDA5-positive), 3 (5%) were anti-signal recognition particle antibody-positive, 1 (1.7%) was anti-transcriptional intermediary factor 1-gamma antibody-positive, and 15 (25%) were MSA-negative. There were significant differences in clinical features, including ILD form, serum ferritin and surfactant protein-D levels at ILD diagnosis, and high-resolution CT pattern among the anti-ARS-positive, anti-MDA5-positive and MSA-negative groups. The anti-MDA5-positive group showed the lowest 90-day survival rate (66.7%, anti-MDA5-positive; 100%, anti-ARS-positive; 100%, MSA-negative; P < 0.01). The anti-ARS-positive group had the highest 5-year survival rate (96%, anti-ARS-positive; 66.7%, anti-MDA5-positive; 68.3%, MSA-negative, P = 0.02). Univariate analysis revealed that anti-ARS antibody was associated with better prognosis (HR = 0.45; 95% CI, 0.18-0.89; P = 0.02), whereas anti-MDA5 antibody was associated with poorer prognosis (HR = 1.90; 95% CI, 1.02-3.39; P = 0.04).
The comprehensive MSA assessment demonstrated that anti-ARS and anti-MDA5 antibodies were two major MSAs, and the clinical features differed depending on MSA status in PM/DM-ILD. Assessment of anti-ARS and anti-MDA5 antibodies is practically useful for predicting clinical course and prognosis in PM/DM-ILD patients.
Hozumi H
,Fujisawa T
,Nakashima R
,Johkoh T
,Sumikawa H
,Murakami A
,Enomoto N
,Inui N
,Nakamura Y
,Hosono Y
,Imura Y
,Mimori T
,Suda T
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