Table 3.

Disease behaviour, treatment goals and intervention in CTD‐ILD

Disease behaviour	Treatment goal	Intervention and monitoring
Reversible, self‐limited	Achieve regression	Short‐term (3–6 months) observation to confirm disease regression
Reversible, with risk of progression	Achieve regression and then stabilize	Intensive/higher dose treatment with short‐term monitoring to ensure response. Then, rationalize to maintenance treatment and long‐term observation to ensure stability
Stable, risk of progression	Maintain status	Maintenance treatment. Monitor for disease progression
Progressive, irreversible with potential for stabilization	Stabilize	Intensive/higher dose treatment and then rationalize to maintenance treatment. Short‐term monitoring to ensure response and then long‐term observation to ensure stability
Progressive, despite treatment	Slow disease progression	Rescue therapy Trials Transplantation Palliative/best supportive case

Adapted from Travis et al., ⁶⁴ with permission.

CTD‐ILD, connective tissue disease‐associated interstitial lung disease.