THE PREVALENCE OF INTERSTITIAL LUNG DISEASE IN SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS PATIENTS

OBJECTIVE: To report the prevalence of interstitial lung disease in Systemic Sclerosis patients at the Royal Hospital and compare our data with the literature. METHODS: All adult Omani patients with Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) who are under regular follow-up at the Royal Hospital were retrospectively enrolled from January 2006 to January 2014. RESULTS: A total of 49 cases of Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) patients were included. The mean age was 44.06 ± 11.9 years. There was a predominance of females (48 cases; 98%). Interstitial lung disease present in 30 cases (61%). The most frequent symptoms were dyspnea 47%, cough 33%, and others (e.g. atypical chest pain) 20%. There was no association with smoking, non-smoker (47 cases, 95.5%) versus ex. smoker (2 cases, 4%). The most high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) finding was traction bronchiectasis (21 cases, 42.9%) followed by honey comb appearance (19 cases, 38.8%). Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) was done in 33 cases. The mean total lung capacity (TLC) was 81. 06 ± 26.2. The mean diffusion lung capacity (DLCO) was 61.8± 28.3. Pulmonary hypertension was found in 10 cases only (20.4%) based on echocardiography. CONCLUSIONS: ILD was present in 30 cases out of 49 cases of SSc (61.2%) with female predominance. The most frequently observed HRCT change was traction bronchiectasis. Similarities and differences were found with respect to the previous reports from other countries.