Table 1. Demographical details, underlying diseases, and diagnostic procedures of the patients.
| Variables | No. of patients (%) or median (range) |
|---|---|
| Age, median years (range) | 39(13–78) |
| Gender | |
| Male | 25 (36%) |
| Female | 44(64%) |
| Underlying disease | |
| Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) | 39(57%) |
| Dermatomyositis/Myositis | 11(16%) |
| Vasculitis* | 9(13%) |
| RA | 6(9%) |
| Other CTDs ** | 4(6%) |
| Use of glucocorticoid | 69(100%) |
| Prednisone | 39(57%) |
| Methylprednisolone | 28(41%) |
| Other glucocorticoids | 2(3%) |
| Dose of glucocorticoid | 49(5–133) |
| Duration of glucocorticoid | 120(10–2670) |
| Use of immunosuppressive agents # | 63(91%) |
| Cyclophosphamide | 40(63%) |
| Cyclosporin A | 8(13%) |
| Mycophenlatemofetil | 7(11%) |
| Methotrexate | 6(10%) |
| Tripterygium Glycosides | 7(11%) |
| Acetazolamide | 2(3%) |
| Use of biological agents & | 5 (4%) |
| ≥ 2 immunosuppressive agents | 11(17%) |
| Diagnostic procedure | |
| BAL | 31 (45%) |
| Sputum | 40 (58%) |
| Tissue | 2 (3%) |
| Positive GMS stain | 38 (55%) |
| Positive PCR | 45 (65%) |
| Co-infections | 24(34%) |
* Vasculitis: Behcet’s disease, microscopic polyangiitis, granulomatosis with polyangiitis
** Other CTDs: Sjogren syndrome (SS), undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD), mixed connective tissue disease, scleroderma
# Immunosuppressive agents: cyclophosphamide, cyclosporin A, mycophenlatemofetil, and tripterygium glycosides
& Biological agents: ritaximab, and antitumor necrosis factor α(infliximab, entanercept)