A call for uniformity in implementing the IPAF (interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features) criteria. Issue 6 (December 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Strek, Mary E.; Oldham, Justin M.; Adegunsoye, Ayodeji; Vij, Rekha
• Is Part Of: European respiratory journal. Volume 48:Issue 6(2016)
• Page Start: 1813
• Page End: 1814
• Publication Date: 2016-12
• Subjects: Respiratory organs -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Respiration -- Periodicals; 616.2
• DOI: 10.1183/13993003.01841-2016
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0903-1936

Abstract

We appreciate the letter of correspondence by A.S. Jee and colleagues highlighting the need to standardise the rheumatologic classification criteria utilised in the diagnosis of a defined connective tissue disease (CTD) when evaluating patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) for autoimmune features and CTD. This was prompted by our recent publication in the European Respiratory Journal [1]. A.S. Jee and colleagues note that the interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features (IPAF) cohort in our study contained only one subject with an anti-tRNA synthetase antibody and speculate that patients at our centre with positive antisynthetase antibodies and ILD were diagnosed with an antisynthetase syndrome rather than IPAF [2]. This observation prompted A.S. Jee and colleagues to highlight the numerous criteria that exist for the diagnosis of the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies: polymyositis, dermatomyositis and antisynthetase syndrome and propose that these entities be defined uniformly in the evaluation of patients with ILD. This approach would more precisely distinguish IPAF patients from those with CTD-ILD with potential improvement in the accuracy and prognostic ability of the IPAF criteria. IPAF criteria need to be implemented in a standard fashion across centres for accurate validation http://ow.ly/W7Fz304BKq0