Pulmonary manifestations of the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies in a South African population

Abstract

<b>What the study adds.</b> Pulmonary complications, including interstitial lung disease (ILD) and infections, are significant contributors to morbidity and mortality in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs). There is very little research currently available to describe the spectrum of pulmonary manifestations in these patients in an African setting, a lack that this study aimed to address.<b>Implications of the findings.</b> ILD was the most common pulmonary complication in patients with IIMs in this cohort. Signs and symptoms of ILD may be present before symptoms of myositis, and dyspnoea and a dry cough were shown to be predictive of reduced lung volumes. Patients with IIMs on immunosuppressive therapy in our setting are at high risk of infection, particularly tuberculosis.