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04:44
Imaging Features of Systemic Sclerosis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease
Published on: June 16, 2020
Subclinical interstitial lung disease: why you should care
Tracy J Doyle1, Gary M Hunninghake, Ivan O Rosas
1Pulmonary and Critical Care Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
|February 28, 2012
Summary
Interstitial lung abnormalities (ILA) detected by CT scans in smokers may indicate early-stage interstitial lung disease (ILD). Further longitudinal studies are needed to understand the long-term significance and treatment implications of these subclinical changes.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonology
- Radiology
- Pathology
Background:
- High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) increasingly detects interstitial lung abnormalities (ILA) in asymptomatic individuals.
- ILA are found in approximately 1 in 12 smokers undergoing HRCT.
- The long-term clinical significance of these subclinical findings is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current research validating methods for detecting subclinical interstitial lung disease (ILD).
- To discuss the implications of ILA in at-risk populations.
- To highlight the need for longitudinal studies on subclinical ILD.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing cross-sectional studies.
- Analysis of radiologic, physiological, and molecular detection methods for subclinical ILD.
- Discussion of findings in families with pulmonary fibrosis, smokers with COPD, and inflammatory lung disease patients.
Main Results:
- Asymptomatic individuals with ILA show lung volume reduction, functional limitations, and symptoms similar to clinically significant ILD.
- ILA in at-risk populations may represent early pulmonary fibrosis or subclinical ILD.
- Current studies are limited by cross-sectional design.
Conclusions:
- Subclinical ILD, indicated by ILA, may be an early stage of progressive lung disease in select populations.
- Longitudinal research is crucial to establish prognostic value and therapeutic targets for subclinical ILD.
- Further investigation is needed to understand the natural history and inciting events of ILD.
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