Sugiyama Y, et al. - With the aid of the multicenter database, experts attempted to scrutinize the prognostic factors for death and serious infection in polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM)-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD). The progression of ILD at baseline was discovered to be the most pivotal factor for survival. It was determined that infection, especially respiratory infection, served as an additive prognostic factor under the potent immunosuppressive treatment.

Methods

• The scheme of this research was a retrospective review study.
• Exerts appraised the baseline demographic, clinical and laboratory findings, treatment regimens and outcomes of patients with PM/DM-ILD.
• An examination was conducted of the distribution of ILD lesions in 4 divided lung zones of high-resolution computed tomography images.

Results

• Among 116 candidates with PM/DM-ILD, death was reported in 14 patients within 6 months from the diagnosis.
• Extended ILD lesions in upper lung fields (odds ratio (OR) 8.01, p=0.016) and hypocapnia (OR 6.85, p=0.038) were discovered to be independent risk factors for early death.
• A total of 38 subjects presented with serious infection, with the inclusion of 11 patients who died of respiratory or multiple infections.
• Data identified high serum KL-6 (OR 3.68, p=0.027), high initial dose of prednisolone (PSL) (OR 4.18, p=0.013), and combination immunosuppressive therapies (OR 5.51, p < 0.001) as independent risk factors.