Browse the corpus
Walk the evidence base by book and chapter — the raw source passages that ground Ask, Differential, and the rest.
1 passage
Connective Tissue Disease-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease: Evaluation and Management. Interstitial lung disease is common among patients with connective tissue disease and is an important contributor to morbidity and mortality. Infection and drug toxicity must always be excluded as the cause of radiographic findings. Immunosuppression remains a mainstay of therapy despite few controlled trials supporting its use. When a decision regarding therapy initiation is made, considerations include an assessment of disease severity as well as a determination of the rate of progression. Because patients may have extrathoracic disease activity, a multidisciplinary approach is crucial and should include supportive and nonpharmacologic management strategies.