Objective:

To determine the risk factors and the potential relationship between body mass index (BMI) and the development of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in patients with systemic sclerosis.

Methods:

A cross-sectional, correlational, study with a non-probabilistic sample was conducted on consecutive patients with scleroderma seen in the Rheumatology Division at Hospital Universitario de Caracas during the period April to September 2018. Patients underwent clinical and laboratory assessments, anthropometric measurements, pulmonary function tests, and high-resolution computed axial tomography scan of the chest.

Results:

Of 48 patients, 95.8% were female, with a high prevalence of limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis (lcSSc) (64.6%). Underweight (BMI<18.5kg/m2) was a risk factor for the development of ILD (OR 4.60; 95% CI 1.12-18.86). There was directly proportional relationship between BMI and forced vital capacity, with no statistical significance (CC 0.23; p = 0.1180). However, other predictors of ILD included diffuse systemic sclerosis (OR 6.91,95% CI; 1.78-26.85), modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS) (OR 1.25; 95% CI; 1.04-1.30), and a speckled pattern of antinuclear antibody (OR 5.62; 95% CI; 1.33-23.62). Multivariate analysis showed that mRSS (OR 1.34; 95% CI; 1.04-1.72) and the presence of a speckled antinuclear antibody (OR 25.99; 95% CI; 1.02-16.02) were independent predictors of ILD. The percentage of BMI lost in a period of time of 2008-2018 was 14.3% (p = 0.0021), which was higher than rheumatoid arthritis (p = 0.0000), systemic lupus erythematosus (p = 0.0025), and healthy patients (p = 0.0331).

Conclusion:

BMI and ILD are inversely correlated. Age, underweight, higher mRSS, and speckled pattern of antinuclear antibody were risk factors for development of ILD in patients with systemic sclerosis. The mRSS could be used as a clinical predictive tool for ILD in systemic sclerosis.

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