Table 1.
Profiles of dermatomyositis (DM)/polymyositis (PM) patients with corticosteroid-resistant and corticosteroid-sensitive interstitial pneumonitis (IP)
| Corticosteroid- resistant IP† (n = 6) | Corticosteroid- sensitive IP† (n = 16) | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 49·0 ± 15·9 | 49·1 ± 9·1 | NS |
| Sex (male/female) | 2/4 | 4/12 | NS |
| DM/PM | 6/0 | 7/9 | 0·003 |
| Disease duration (weeks)‡ | 5·5 ± 3·5 | 7·8 ± 4·5 | NS |
| CT findings§ | |||
| Reticular opacities | 6 (100%) | 16 (100%) | NS |
| Ground-glass opacities | 6 (100%) | 16 (100%) | NS |
| Alveolar opacities | 4 (67%) | 12 (75%) | NS |
| Honeycombing | 1 (17%) | 2 (13%) | NS |
| Pulmonary function tests§ | |||
| FVC (% predicted) | 72·3 ± 5·5 | 73·6 ± 21·7 | NS |
| FEV1 (% predicted) | 89·1 ± 3·5 | 82·8 ± 10·0 | NS |
| DLCO (% predicted) | 51·8 ± 3·1 | 59·8 ± 17·0 | NS |
| PaO2 (mmHg) | 75·7 ± 8·0 | 72·8 ± 10·3 | NS |
| AaDO2 (mmHg) | 30·5 ± 8·1 | 32·6 ± 12·6 | NS |
| Changes after 4-week corticosteroid therapy† | |||
| PaO2 (mmHg) | −9·5 ± 5·5 | 12·2 ± 5·7 | <0·001 |
| AaDO2 (mmHg) | 11·7 ± 8·7 | −15·7 ± 6·7 | <0·001 |
| Survival after 1 years (%)¶ | 5 (83%)¶ | 16 (100%) | NS |
Data are means ± SD. NS, not significantly different between the two IP groups (P > 0·05).
†
Corticosteroid-resistant IP was defined as a progression of IP despite administration of 1 mg/kg/day prednisolone for more than 4 weeks.
‡
Periods from the onset of dyspnea and dry cough to the admission.
§
CT findings and pulmonary functions are the data on admission.
¶
Survivals after one-year prednisolone therapy. Patients with corticosteroid-resistant IP were treated with cyclosporin in addition to prednisolone. One patient died of progression of IP in spite of cyclosporin therapy.