A Case of Progressive Dyspnea: Lymphocytic Interstitial Pneumonia in Collagen Vascular Disease

We describe an interesting rare case of a 61-year-old woman who was admitted to our hospital for exertional dyspnea, non-productive cough, and generalized weakness of six months duration. Her computed tomography was significant for ground-glass opacities combined with bibasilar consolidations and numerous pulmonary cysts. There can be a significant overlap in imaging findings of post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lung disease and interstitial lung disease from autoimmune diseases. We review in extensive detail the differential diagnosis for these imaging findings from a pulmonologist's perspective and discuss investigations required for further workup. Our patient underwent transbronchial biopsy and was eventually diagnosed with lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia with Sjogren predominant mixed connective tissue disease. We also review in detail the current literature and prognosis for this interesting disease.