Management of interstitial lung disease in patients with autoimmune disease-related interstitial lung disease.

Abstract

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a common manifestation of systemic autoimmune diseases. A proportion of patients with autoimmune disease associated-ILDs develop progressive pulmonary fibrosis. Regular monitoring of patients with pulmonary fibrosis is recommended to enable prompt detection of progression and initiation or escalation of therapy if needed. However, there is no established algorithm for the treatment of autoimmune disease associated-ILDs. In this article, we present three case studies that demonstrate the challenges in the diagnosis and management of patients with autoimmune disease associated-ILDs and the importance of taking a multidisciplinary approach to their care.