How often are you repeating screening PFTs in patients with SARDs who have 3 or more years of normal or stable PFTs?
The answer to this question is complex and needs to be tailored to the individual patient’s risk for ILD and the particular SARD.
Approximately 30-40% of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) will develop ILD, typically within the first 5 years after the first non-Raynaud’s manifestation and rarely ...
This group of patients is at lower risk of developing progressive ILD, but not completely ‘out of the woods’! Late-onset progressive ILD can develop in patients with SSc and MCTD, and PFTs also enable Pulmonary hypertension screening, which is typically an important aspect to continue monitoring for...
I think a spiro + DLCO should continue to be done yearly. You don't need full PFT's with body pleth. I've seen plenty of patients with stable scleroderma ILD or RAILD have slow progression later in the course of their illness after stability. I don't think there's any reason not to get yearly physio...