Risk factors for lung function decline in systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease in a large...

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Pulmonology
• Immunology

Background:

• Systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality.
• Identifying factors predicting lung function decline is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify risk factors associated with the decline in percent predicted forced vital capacity (ppFVC) in patients with SSc-ILD.
• To evaluate the prognostic value of ppFVC in this patient population.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal analysis of 184 SSc-ILD patients with serial pulmonary function tests.
• Linear mixed-effects models were used to assess ppFVC decline over time.
• Exploration of demographic and baseline characteristics as predictors of ppFVC decline.

Main Results:

• Anti-topoisomerase I (ATA) positivity was the only significant predictor of ppFVC decline in multivariate analysis.
• A mean ppFVC decline of -0.28% was observed overall.
• Patients who died within two years showed a significantly steeper decline in ppFVC trajectory.

Conclusions:

• ppFVC is a marker of survival in SSc-ILD, supporting its use in risk stratification.
• ATA positivity is a predictive marker for ppFVC decline in SSc-ILD patients.
• Earlier interventions may be beneficial for patients identified with higher risk.