title: The correlation of symptoms, pulmonary function tests and exercise testing with high-resolution computed tomography in patients with idiopathic interstitial pneumonia in a tertiary care hospital in South India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  For the follow-up of patients with idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIP), it is unclear which parameters of pulmonary function tests (PFT) and exercise testing would correlate best with high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT)..
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To find out the correlation of symptom scores, PFTs and exercise testing with HRCT scoring in patients diagnosed as idiopathic interstitial pneumonia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study done in pulmonary medicine outpatients department of a tertiary care hospital in South India.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive patients who were diagnosed as IIP by a standard algorithm were included into the study. Cough and dyspnea were graded for severity and duration. Pulmonary function tests and exercise testing parameters were noted. HRCT was scored based on an alveolar score, an interstitial score and a total score. The HRCT was correlated with each of the clinical and physiologic parameters. Pearson's/Spearman's correlation coefficient was used for the correlation of symptoms and parameters of ABG, PFT and 6MWT with the HRCT scores.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 94 patients were included in the study. Cough and dyspnea severity (r = 0.336 and 0.299), FVC (r = -0.48), TLC (r = -0.439) and DLCO and distance saturation product (DSP) (r = -0.368) and lowest saturation (r = -0.324) had significant correlation with total HRCT score. Among these, DLCO, particularly DLCO corrected % of predicted, correlated best with HRCT score (r = -0.721)..
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Symptoms, PFT and exercise testing had good correlation with HRCT. DLCO corrected % of predicted correlated best with HRCT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Barney Thomas Jesudason
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Isaac
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Balamugesh
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Thangakunam
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Rekha A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Cherian
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Devasahayam Jesudas
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Christopher
keywords: Correlation; high-resolution computed tomography; idiopathic interstitial pneumonia; idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; interstitial lung disease; pulmonary function tests