title: Interstitial lung disease in a patient with antisynthetase syndrome and no myositis.
abstract: Interstitial lung disease in patients with antisynthetase syndrome and no evidence of myositis is rare and may precede other disease manifestations. We report a patient who initially presented with symptoms primarily related to lung involvement. The diagnosis of the antisynthetase syndrome without myositis was made many months later when he developed a characteristic hand rash (mechanic's hands), which was confirmed by positive antibodies to Jo-1. With treatment, both the hand rash and the interstitial lung disease improved. Antisynthetase syndrome should be considered in patients presenting with interstitial lung disease with no evidence of myositis. Appropriate laboratory testing with measurement of specific autoantibodies may help in the early diagnosis and treatment of the syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology, University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece. splastiras@panafonet.gr
authors.forename: Sotiris C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Plastiras
authors.forename: Fotini C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Soliotis
authors.forename: Panayiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vlachoyiannopoulos
authors.forename: George E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Tzelepis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000604:Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases / Q000276:immunology*; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D017563:Lung Diseases, Interstitial / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D009220:Myositis / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D013577:Syndrome
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D001323:Autoantibodies; C046750:Jo-1 antibody; D000604:Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases