Seminars in respiratory and critical care medicine
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Semin Respir Crit Care Med · Apr 2019
ReviewComputed Tomographic Imaging in Connective Tissue Diseases.
Pulmonary disease represents a significant extra-articular manifestation in the majority of connective tissue diseases (CTDs). The identification, classification, and staging of pulmonary involvement are centrally important to the management of patients, aiding the prognostication of disease behavior and treatment decisions. We present a review of the high-resolution computed tomographic pulmonary features of CTD in the lung and their significance to the reporting radiologist.
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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common chronic autoimmune disorder that characteristically causes joint inflammation and damage. In addition, many patients develop extraarticular manifestations which may cause significant comorbidity and premature mortality. Some respiratory tract involvement of the upper and lower airways and parenchymal disease features are unique to RA, including cricoarytenoid arthritis and RA pulmonary nodulosis, and others, especially the interstitial parenchymal involvement, occur in many other idiopathic and autoimmune diseases. ⋯ Treatment of the respiratory disease is directed at reducing the systemic inflammation of RA. Less well understood is the management of the interstitial lung disease of RA, for which antifibrotic and immune suppressive agents may be helpful. The management of RA-related lung disease is perhaps the major remaining hurdle in reduction of the disease burden related to extraarticular manifestations of this disease.
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Semin Respir Crit Care Med · Apr 2019
ReviewPulmonary Complications of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune rheumatic disease characterized by the production of pathogenic autoantibodies and immune complexes and is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality through a wide range of clinical manifestations which can affect almost any organ. Pulmonary involvement is prevalent and seen in 50 to 70% of SLE patients and may even be the presenting feature in 4 to 5% of patients. By 10 years postdiagnosis, 12% will have accumulated an element of permanent lung damage. ⋯ ILD and pulmonary hypertension are both frequently seen in other autoimmune rheumatic diseases such as systemic sclerosis; however, in SLE, they tend to be milder and have a comparatively favorable prognosis. Although collectively pulmonary involvement in SLE is common, the heterogeneity of SLE and rareness of individual complications make clinical trials difficult and treatment is usually based on case series reports and anecdotal experience with various immunosuppressive agents. Some of these immunosuppressive agents such as azathioprine, methotrexate, and cyclophosphamide have also been linked with drug-induced lung injury.
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Semin Respir Crit Care Med · Apr 2019
ReviewPulmonary and Bronchiolar Involvement in Sjogren's Syndrome.
Sjogren's syndrome (SS) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by mononuclear cells (principally lymphocytes) infiltrating exocrine glands (e.g., salivary and lacrimal glands), leading to destruction of exocrine epithelial cells and dryness of mucosal surfaces. Cardinal symptoms are dry eyes (xerophthalmia) and dry mouth (xerostomia). Extraglandular sites are affected in 30 to 40% of cases of SS (particularly neurological, kidneys, skin, and lungs). ⋯ Primary SS is not associated with other autoimmune diseases. However, SS can complicate diverse autoimmune disorders (particularly systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and scleroderma); this form is termed "secondary SS." Pulmonary involvement is usually not a dominant feature of SS, but may be severe in some cases. In this review, we discuss specific tracheal, bronchiolar, and pulmonary complications of SS including xerotrachea, bronchiolitis, bronchiectasis, interstitial lung disease, nonspecific interstitial pneumonia, usual interstitial pneumonia, lymphoid interstitial pneumonia, organizing pneumonia, acute fibrinous and organizing pneumonia, pulmonary cysts, pleural effusions, pulmonary amyloidosis, and bronchus- or lung-associated lymphomas.
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Semin Respir Crit Care Med · Apr 2019
ReviewSystemic Sclerosis Associated Interstitial Lung Disease: A Comprehensive Overview.
Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a common complication of systemic sclerosis (SSc). SSc-ILD adversely impacts quality of life and is currently the leading cause of death in this multisystem disease. Identifying clinically significant SSc-ILD is critically important. ⋯ For those with refractory or very advanced disease, studies into disease-specific palliative approaches are in their infancy. Lung transplantation as an option for SSc-ILD remains patient- and center-specific, with data to suggest equivalent outcomes to other fibrotic lung diseases, in carefully selected cases. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of all key aspects of SSc-ILD.