Key Facts. Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a category of conditions that cause inflammation and scarring in the lungs. This can lead to difficulty breathing and, eventually, heart failure. Autoimmune ILD is a specific type caused by autoimmune disorders such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and more.
Respiratory problems are common and can be serious in patients who have a connective tissue or autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. With an autoimmune disease, a person's own immune system attacks the lungs, causing inflammation and scarring that can impair lung function and breathing.
Autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (aPAP) is a rare autoimmune lung disorder. It is the most common form (90% of the cases) of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP). Some people may not show symptoms, while others may have progressive difficulty breathing and shortness of breath upon exertion.
Pulmonary fibrosis scars and thickens lung tissue. It impacts the connecting tissue in the lung and the alveoli (air sacs inside the lungs). The lung damage gradually gets worse over time. Hard, stiff lung tissues don't expand as well as they should, making it harder to breathe.
This scar tissue can prevent oxygen from moving easily from your lungs into your blood and may cause diffuse (widespread) interstitial lung disease. The symptoms that you may experience include a chronic dry cough, chest pain, and difficulty breathing during physical activity.
If your doctor suspects that lupus is affecting your lungs or heart, he or she may suggest: Chest X-ray. An image of your chest may reveal abnormal shadows that suggest fluid or inflammation in your lungs.
Symptoms of Sjögren's syndrome with ILD may include:
Feeling very tired when going about your normal day. Shortness of breath, especially with mild physical activity. Dry cough that doesn't go away.
In 9–20% of cases, Sjögren's syndrome is associated with various respiratory symptoms. The most typical manifestations are chronic interstitial lung disease (ILD) and tracheobronchial disease. The most common manifestation of ILD is nonspecific interstitial pneumonia in its fibrosing variant.
Four of the most frequently fatal ones include: Giant cell myocarditis. Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis. Mixed connective tissue disease.
Asherson's syndrome is an extremely rare autoimmune disorder characterized by the development, over a period of hours, days or weeks, of rapidly progressive blood clots affecting multiple organ systems of the body.
Blood tests.
Certain bloodwork can detect proteins, antibodies and other markers of autoimmune diseases or inflammatory responses to environmental exposures, such as those caused by molds or bird protein.
Many conditions can cause chronic breathlessness including: Chronic lung diseases, including COPD, asthma, pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension. Heart disease or congestive heart failure. Obesity.
Know the signs
Keep an eye out for two common symptoms: shortness of breath and pain with breathing, deBoisblanc says. “Pulmonary issues often affect people with lupus who are younger, and who shouldn't be having significant breathing problems at all,” he says.
Most cases of shortness of breath are due to heart or lung conditions. Your heart and lungs are involved in transporting oxygen to your tissues and removing carbon dioxide, and problems with either of these processes affect your breathing.
Patients with Sjogren's disease have destruction of the mucus secreting cells in the bronchi. This manifestation of the disease leads to the common complaint of persistent dry cough that is seen in many of these patients.
Skin rash. Numbness and pain due to neuropathy. Cough and shortness of breath due to lung disease. Irregular heartbeat.
In most people with Sjögren syndrome, dry eyes and dry mouth are the primary features of the disorder, and general health and life expectancy are largely unaffected. However, in some cases the immune system also attacks and damages other organs and tissues. This complication is known as extraglandular involvement.
Symptoms develop gradually and can mimic other conditions, including menopause, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and chronic fatigue syndrome. SS is often underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed and requires a multidisciplinary approach in order to be properly identified.
If Sjögren's syndrome isn't treated appropriately, significant, long-term complications could result that affect your eyes, mouth, lungs, kidneys, liver or lymph nodes — complications including blindness, significant dental destruction and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
A doctor may use the phrase "borderline lupus" when symptoms or blood test results suggest lupus, but there is not enough information for a definite diagnosis.
Blood and urine tests.
The antinuclear antibody (ANA) test can show if your immune system is more likely to make the autoantibodies of lupus. Most people with lupus test positive for ANA. But, a positive ANA does not always mean you have lupus.