Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a heterogeneous group of lung parenchymal disorders that share several clinical, radiologic and histopathologic features, and are therefore grouped together.1 ILD can occur in association with most rheumatic connective tissue diseases (CTDs), but patients with systemic sclerosis, polymyositis, dermatomyositis and rheumatoid arthritis have the highest risk of developing ILD.2 A… [Read More]
Recent research found women with COPD and asthma—even those who have never smoked—are at a higher risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis…... [Read More]
MADRID—Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is among the most common autoimmune diseases in the U.S., affecting approximately 1.3 million U.S. adults.1 Although tremendous treatment advances have been made in recent years, one extra-articular manifestation of RA that continues to pose a challenge with regard to detection and management is interstitial lung disease (ILD). At the 2019 European… [Read More]
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Transbronchial lung cryobiopsy (TBLC) and surgical lung biopsy (SLB) had a high level of agreement for diagnosing interstitial lung disease in the first comparative study. “These data suggest that TBLC, when done by an experienced proceduralist, is a valid first-line minimally invasive diagnostic tool for patients with interstitial lung disease deemed to… [Read More]
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Nintedanib dramatically slows lung deterioration in patients with progressive fibrosing interstitial lung diseases, according to a new randomized study.1 Nintedanib has already been shown to be effective against idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The new trial, funded by the manufacturer, Boehringer Ingelheim, and presented t the European Respiratory Society International Congress 2019 in… [Read More]
Historically, the early approach for treating interstitial lung disease (ILD) due to systemic sclerosis (SSc) involved immunosuppressant therapy, primarily with cytotoxic agents.1 Glucocorticoids in combination with another immunosuppressant agent, such as oral azathioprine or cyclophosphamide, were often used to treat patients with severe, progressive SSc-ILD.2 However, direct evidence to support this therapeutic approach was lacking… [Read More]
A study of nintedanib in patients with ILD associated with systemic sclerosis showed the treatment had only limited improvement. Although these patients had a lower rate of decline in forced vital capacity than those on placebo, nintedanib did not result in clinical benefits for other manifestations of systemic sclerosis…... [Read More]
A recent proof-of-concept study to evaluate nuclear imaging in interstitial lung disease (ILD) concludes it is feasible to study ILD subtypes using this technology to visualize specific molecular processes of ILD. The process has important potential applications for the development of targeted molecular therapies.1 ILD is an umbrella term for a group of heterogeneous lung… [Read More]
In the past decade, the treat-to-target concept has gained broad acceptance. Both the ACR and European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) management recommendations include adding biologic therapies to the treatment regimen for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who do not sufficiently respond to methotrexate monotherapy. “What EULAR says is that if [methotrexate use fails], you should essentially… [Read More]
New research has linked the risk of developing interstitial lung disease in rheumatoid arthritis patients with the promoter variant in MUC5B, which may also contribute to the development of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and an unsual interstitial pneumonia seen by high-resolution CT scan…... [Read More]