Krishna Mohan Kodampuram1 , Anuja Elizabeth George2
BACKGROUND Respiratory system is the third commonest organ involved in Systemic Sclerosis (SSc), but may be silent without symptoms or chest X-ray abnormalities. Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) is a major tool for the investigation of lung involvement and measuring of breath (spirometry) is the most common of the PFTs. The objective of this study was to estimate the proportion of SSc patients having abnormal PFT. METHODS This was a hospital based cross sectional study conducted among 33 SSc patients to assess pulmonary involvement by chest X-ray and spirometry. RESULTS Abnormal PFT was observed in 63.6% patients and all of them had restrictive pattern PFT. Respiratory symptoms and signs were present in only 76.2% of patients with restrictive PFT and was absent in 23.8%, although they had restrictive PFT. X-ray evidence of Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) was observed in 39.4% of patients and that of Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) in 6.1%. Chest X-ray was normal in 33.3% patients although they had abnormal PFT. 93.3% of patients with abnormal X-ray suggestive of ILD had restrictive PFT which was statistically significant. Only 61.9% of patients with restrictive PFT had X-ray features of ILD. Patients with restrictive disease had more respiratory symptoms and signs when compared with patients who had normal PFT. CONCLUSIONS PFT is a valuable screening tool for pulmonary involvement in all patients with SSc, since restrictive PFT and ILD can occur in SSc even in the absence of respiratory symptoms and signs or even when chest X-ray is normal.
