Abstract

Background: Although symptomatic interstitial lung disease (ILD) complicates in 3–8% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), subclinical ILD is common and has been described in up to one-third of patients.

Aims and Objectives: Objective was spirometric evaluation of adult SLE patients having no pulmonary symptoms.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out involving adult SLE. Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), FEV1/FVC ratio, forced expiratory flow (FEF) between 25 and 75% of vital capacity (FEF25–75%), and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) were measured. Pearson’s correlation analysis was used to determine the correlation of disease duration with spirometric parameters.

Results: Of 74 patients (age 18–50 years), six were male. Mean age, height, and weight were 29.65 years, 154.1 cm, and 52.75 kg, respectively. Mean duration of the disease was 4.5 years. Sixty patients (five males among them) were in remission with SLE Disease Activity Index score of 0. None had chronic cough or any respiratory distress at rest or with day-to-day activities. Overall, 34 (46%) patients had normal spirometry. About 56% of female and 33% of male patients had abnormal spirometry. About 49% of female patients had restrictive pattern of abnormality while 9% had obstructive disease. All patients had normal PEFR. Disease duration did not significantly correlate with any of the spirometric parameters or their percent-predicted values.

Conclusion: Periodic spirometry of adult SLE patients can be a cost-effective alternative in detecting subclinical pulmonary changes.

Key words: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus; Spirometry; Adult