title: [Lung involvement in systemic connective tissue diseases].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Systemic connective tissue diseases (SCTD) are chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorders of unknown cause that can involve different organs and systems. Their course and prognosis are different. All of them can, more or less, involve the respiratory sistem. The aim of this study was to find out the frequency of respiratory simptoms, lung function disorders, radiography and high-resolution computerized tomography (HRCT) abnormalities, and their correlation with the duration of the disease and the applied treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 47 non-randomised consecutive patients standard chest radiography, HRCT, and lung function tests were done.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hypoxemia was present in nine of the patients with respiratory simptoms (20%). In all of them chest radiography was normal. In five of these patients lung fibrosis was established using HRCT. Half of all the patients with SCTD had simptoms of lung involment. Lung function tests disorders of various degrees were found in 40% of the patients. The outcome and the degree of lung functin disorders were neither in correlation with the duration of SCTD nor with therapy used (p > 0.05 Spearmans Ro).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pulmonary fibrosis occures in about 10% of the patients with SCTD, and possibly not due to the applied treatment regimens. Hypoxemia could be a sing of existing pulmonary fibrosis in the absence of disorders on standard chest radiography.
authors.affiliation: Vojnomedicinska akademija, Klinika za plućne bolesti, Beograd, Srbija. g_plavec@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Goran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Plavec
authors.forename: Ilija
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tomić
authors.forename: Sanela
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bihorac
authors.forename: Gordana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kovacević
authors.forename: Ljiljana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pavlica
authors.forename: Gordana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cvetković
authors.forename: Stevan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sikimić
authors.forename: Rade
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Milić
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003240:Connective Tissue Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged