Abstract
Interstitial lung disorders are a group of respiratory diseases characterized by interstitial
compartment infiltration, varying degrees of infiltration, and fibrosis, with or without
small airway involvement. Although some are idiopathic (e.g., idiopathic pulmonary
fibrosis, idiopathic interstitial pneumonias, and sarcoidosis), the great majority
have an underlying etiology, such as systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease (SARD,
also called Connective Tissue Diseases or CTD), inhalational exposure to organic matter,
medications, and rarely, genetic disorders. This review focuses on diagnostic approaches
in interstitial lung diseases associated with SARDs. To make an accurate diagnosis,
a multidisciplinary, personalized approach is required, with input from various specialties,
including pulmonary, rheumatology, radiology, and pathology, to reach a consensus.
In a minority of patients, a definitive diagnosis cannot be established. Their clinical
presentations and prognosis can be variable even within subsets of SARDs.
Keywords
systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases - interstitial lung diseases - screening -
diagnosis - pulmonary function tests - high-resolution computed tomography - artificial
intelligence
