Interstitial Pneumonia associated with an autoimmune background; miRNA discovery cohort

We aim to identify miRNA signatures of clinical subgroups and disease pathways in patients with interstitial pneumonia (IP) and an underlying autoimmune condition. Phenotypes are segregated attending to disease duration, fibrotic disease, radiographic patterns of IP (including UIP, NSIP, others), forced vital capacity (FVC: lower or higher than 80% from ref.) and outcomes (loss of 10% FVC during 24 months of follow up). The sample is enriched in treatment-naïve patients with pulmonary-dominant syndromes. Clinical diagnosis include Interstitial Pneumonia with Autoimmune Features (IPAF), Systemic sclerosis (SSc), Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), anti tRNA synthetase syndrome (ARS), and SSc/ARS overlapping disease. Those patients not fulfilling criteria for IPAF or definite connective tissue diseases are classified as undifferentiated autoimmune IP (uAIP) Overall design: Cross-sectional case-control study with follow-up data over a 2 year period [contributor] NEREA Autoimmune ILD Study Group