Objective To analyze the clinical characteristics of dermatomyositis ( DM) and polymyositis ( PM) with pulmonary involvement. Methods A retrospective study was performed in 27 DM/PM patients with pulmonary involvement, who were admitted to the First People’s Hospital of Kunming fromJanuary2001 to December 2009. The clinical manifestation, laboratory examination, chest high resolution CT ( HRCT) , pulmonary function test, treatment efficacy and prognosis were analyzed. Results In 27 DM/PM patients with pulmonary involvement, pulmonary manifestations occurred in 23 cases, such as cough ( 44% ) , expectoration ( 30% ) , and dyspnea ( 11% ) . Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, creatine kinase, C-reactive protein, and lactic dehydrogenase were significantly increased in 63% , 67% , 56% , and 44% of patients. Anti-Jo-1 antibody was positive in eight cases ( 29% ) . The electromyogram ( EMG) revealed myogenic changes in all patients. Pulmonary interstitial changes were the predominant HRCT manifestations. Pulmonary function test revealed mainly restrictive ventilation dysfunction and decreased diffusion capacity. Most patients had a good prognosis by glucocorticoid treatment. Conclusions For patients with DM/PM, especially who present nonspecific pulmonary symptoms, chest HRCT and pulmonary function test should be recommended as early screening tools.
Objective To investigate the lung involvement in Chinese patients with systemic sclerosis ( SSc) and its functional impact. Methods 68 patients with SSc were enrolled in Scleroderma study of PUMCH ( Peking Union Medical College Hospital) . All the patients underwent high resolution computed tomography ( HRCT) , pulmonary function testing, 6-minute walk testing, and echocardiography. And 36 patients filled in the Saint George’s Respiratory Questionnaire ( SGRQ) for assessment of healthrelated quality of life. Results HRCT revealed interstitial lung disease ( ILD) in 52 ( 76. 5% ) patients, 20 out of them without respiratory symptoms. Reticular opacification, ground-glass opacity ( GGO) , traction bronchiectasis, and honeycomb were presented respectively in 80.8% , 73.1% , 59.6% , and 30.8% of patients with SSc-ILD. Fibrosis was the predominant HRCT finding, and pure GGO ( in the absence of reticulation or architectural distortion) was only present in 8 ( 15. 7% ) patients. 57 (83.8% ) patients presented with diffusion defect, with most of them having moderate to severe impairent. Reduced FVC or TLC presented in 20 ( 29.4% ) and 28 ( 41.2% ) of patients respectively. The significant correlation was observed between the DLCO and the extent of ILD on HRCT ( rs = -0.476, P =0.000) . DLCO showed significant correlations with all the four components of the SGRQ ( Plt;0.05) . Significant correlations were also observed among the SGRQ scores and SpO2 ( maximum desaturation) or Borg index. Stepwise multiple regression analysis confirmed that the DLCO, SpO2 , and Borg index contributed to the SGRQ. Conclusions Lung involvement in Chinese SSc patients is common and insidious. The HRCT features of SSc-ILD are predominant fibrosis plus GGO, indicating little reversibility. Thus HRCT should be performed routinely in newly diagnosed SSc patients for early screening of lung involvement. The lung function defect of SSc is characterized by reduced diffusing capacity, and DLCO show better correlations with HRCT abnormities or SGRQ than FVC or TLC. Thus DLCO is of great value for early detection or severity assessment of SSc-ILD. SGRQ can be used to examine the health related quality of life of SSc patients and may reflect severity of lung involvement.