title: Pulmonary manifestations of anti-ARS antibody positive interstitial pneumonia--with or without PM/DM.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Autoantibodies against aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (ARS) have been found to be highly specific for polymyositis and dermatomyositis (PM/DM) and to correlate strongly with complicating interstitial pneumonia (IP). The aim of the present study was to compare the clinical presentations of anti-ARS antibody-positive IP patients with or without manifestations of PM/DM.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively examined 36 IP patients with anti-ARS antibodies. Sixteen patients presented with and 20 without the features of PM/DM. They were divided into PM/DM-IP and idiopathic-IP (IIP) groups. Clinical symptoms, findings on physical examination, laboratory data, pulmonary function, computed tomography (CT), and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cell counts were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Skin findings, myalgia, and elevation of serum creatinine kinase were found in the PM/DM-IP group. Features common to both groups included: volume loss in lower bilateral lobes; ground-glass opacities, reticular shadows and traction bronchiectasis on chest CT; high percentage of lymphocytes (IIP: 44.0% ± 21.0% (mean ± SD), PM/DM-IP: 50.5% ± 23.5%) and low CD4/8 ratios (IIP: 0.36 ± 0.34, PM/DM-IP: 0.44 ± 0.42) in BALF; decreased pulmonary function, including percentage of predicted vital capacity (VC) (IIP: 80.1% ± 15.4%, PM/DM-IP: 73.6% ± 16.4%), residual volume (RV) (IIP: 70.7% ± 21.7%, PM/DM-IP: 71.5% ± 17.1%), total lung capacity (TLC) (IIP: 73.4% ± 13.6%, PM/DM-IP: 71.6% ± 13.0%), and diffusing capacity DLco (IIP: 57.5% ± 26.7%, PM/DM-IP: 46.4% ± 10.3%). Both groups achieved good responses to initial corticosteroid or immunosuppressant therapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with anti-ARS antibody-positive IP have common pulmonary manifestations regardless of the presence of PM/DM.
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Medicine, Cellular Transplantation Biology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, 13-1 Takara-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-8641, Japan. hmurakami@staff.kanazawa-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hazuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takato
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Waseda
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Kanako
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inuzuka
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Katayama
authors.forename: Yukari
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ichikawa
authors.forename: Masahide
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yasui
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujimura
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000604:Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases / Q000276:immunology*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000166:cytology; D003882:Dermatomyositis / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017563:Lung Diseases, Interstitial / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000379:methods; D017285:Polymyositis / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014109:Total Lung Capacity; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D000604:Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases