Abstract

Peripheral blood biomarkers in systemic sclerosis -associated interstitial lung diseases

Author(s): Ciyuan Yu, Shuli Song & Juan Chen

Abstract: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) can lead to significant morbidity and excess mortality in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients. The early identification of patients at risk of progressive ILD is the main challenges for treating this highly variable disease. Although high resolution CT (HRCT), lung function tests (PFTs), bronchial lavage fluid (BALF), lung biopsy can be used to detect SSc-ILD, it is necessary to find reliable predictors for the disease progression. Peripheral blood biomarkers offer the advantages of being readily obtained, non-invasive, and serially monitored. New insights during the past several years have underscored the epithelial and endothelial cell injury with inflammatory and immune activation impacting of clinically significant SSc-associated ILD, but the pathogenesis of SSc-ILD is unknown. Some serum biomarkers including SP-D, KL-6, IL-9, MMPs, MCP-1, Defensins, IL-8 and CCL18 have identified to be associated with SSc-ILD. Future more cohorts, well-designed and long-term studies are needed to find more prospective biomarkers that influence SSc-ILD disease progression.