Pattern of interstitial lung disease in connective tissue disease.

Abstract

Objective: To identify the pattern of interstitial lung diseases in connective tissue diseases (CTD-ILD) presenting in a tertiary care hospital. Study Design: Descriptive Cross-sectional study. Setting: Department of Rheumatology, Madina Teaching Hospital, Faisalabad. Period: July 2025 to December 2025. Methods: Patients between the ages of 18 and 80 who had been diagnosed with ILD based on their clinical presentation and radiological characteristics were included in the trial for six months. ILD was confirmed by high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT), whereas clinical criteria were used to diagnosis connective tissue disease. Comorbidities, clinical characteristics, demographic information, and HRCT results were documented. SPSS version 25 was used to analyze the data. The mean ± SD, percentages, and frequencies were computed. Results: Rheumatoid arthritis was the most common underlying condition among 54 CTD-ILD patients (mean age 51.9 ± 12.4 years, 70.4% female). Septal thickening (75.9%) and honeycombing (87.0%) were the most common HRCT abnormalities. Conclusion: Honeycombing and septal thickening were important HRCT patterns, and RA was the primary etiology of CTD.