Interstitial Lung Disease Can Be Early Sign of SSc, Study Reports

ILD first found in 4% to 6% of scleroderma patients in US claims database

Between 4% and 6% of people with scleroderma (SSc) were first determined to have an interstitial lung disease (ILD), according to an analysis of a large U.S. insurance claims database.
This finding supports evidence of scleroderma’s early impact on lung disease, and “underline the importance of clinical examination and serologic [blood] testing in patients presenting with an ILD to exclude autoimmune disease [such as SSc] as the underlying cause,” the researchers wrote.

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