Table 1.
Patient characteristics
| Characteristics | Total (n = 26) |
NTB group (n = 15) | NTB + IS group (n = 11) |
p |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 65.1 ± 9.8 | 62.5 ± 9.5 | 68.5 ± 9.6 | 0.113 |
| Sex, Female | 16 (61.5) | 9 (60.0) | 7 (63.6) | 1.000 |
| Former or current smoker | 11 (42.3) | 6 (40.0) | 5 (45.5) | 1.000 |
| UIP-like fibrotic pattern on high-resolution CT | 14 (53.9) | 9 (60.0) | 5 (45.5) | 0.692 |
| Primary CTD | ||||
| Systemic sclerosis (SSc) | 11 (42.3) | 8 (53.3) | 3 (27.3) | 0.246 |
| Polymyositis, Dermatomyositis (PM/DM) | 6 (23.1) | 3 (20.0) | 3 (27.3) | 1.000 |
| Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) | 4 (15.4) | 2 (13.3) | 2 (18.2) | 1.000 |
| Microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) | 3 (11.5) | 0 (0) | 3 (27.3) | 0.064 |
| Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) | 1 (3.8) | 1 (6.7) | 0 (0) | 1.000 |
| Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) | 1 (3.8) | 1 (6.7) | 0 (0) | 1.000 |
| Duration of CTD, years | 9.8 ± 8.3 | 9. 0 ± 6.4 | 6.1 ± 5.2 | 0.232 |
| Duration of CTD-ILD, years | 7.7 ± 5.6 | 9. 0 ± 6.4 | 5.9 ± 3.9 | 0.299 |
| Criteria for disease progression over the past 24 months | ||||
| Relative decline in FVC of ≥ 10% of the predicted value | 7 (26.9) | 3 (20.0) | 4 (36.4) | 0.407 |
| Relative decline in FVC of ≥ 5% to ≤ 10% of the predicted value, along with worsening respiratory symptoms or increased extent of fibrosis on high-resolution CT. | 6 (23.1) | 4 (26.7) | 2 (18.2) | 1.000 |
| Worsening respiratory symptoms and increased extent of fibrosis on high-resolution CT | 13 (50.0) | 8 (53.3) | 5 (45.5) | 1.000 |
| Additional immunosuppressive agents administered following the diagnosis of CTD-associated PF-ILD | ||||
| Rituximab | 6 (24.0) | 0 (0) | 6 (54.6) | 0.002** |
| Glucocorticoids (≥ 20 mg/day of prednisolone equivalent) | 4 (15.4) | 0 (0) | 4 (36.4) | 0.022* |
| Abatacept | 2 (7.7) | 0 (0) | 2 (18.2) | 0.169 |
| Cyclophosphamide | 1 (3.8) | 0 (0) | 1 (9.1) | 0.423 |
| Mycophenolate mofetil | 1 (4.0) | 0 (0) | 1 (9.1) | 0.423 |
| Tacrolimus | 1 (4.0) | 0 (0) | 1 (9.1) | 0.423 |
Data are presented as means ± standard deviation (SD) or as numbers (%), unless otherwise indicated. UIP: usual interstitial pneumonia; CT: computed tomography; CTD: connective tissue diseases; ILD: interstitial lung disease
For statistical analyses, *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01. P-value: Wilcoxon signed rank test, Fisher’s exact test