Photo Credit: Tonpor Kasa

The following is a summary of “Influence of interstitial lung disease on systemic sclerosis hospitalizations, a national study (2002–2020),” published in the May 2025 issue of Advances in Rheumatology by Jobanputra et al. 

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune connective tissue disorder marked by inflammation, fibrosis of the skin and organs, and frequent complications such as interstitial lung disease (ILD), managed primarily by pulmonology. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to examine whether inpatient mortality, length of stay (LOS), and hospital cost varied among individuals with SSc based on the presence of ILD.  

They analyzed hospitalizations for SSc recorded between 2002 and 2020 using the National Inpatient Sample (NIS), an all-payer administrative database that included 97% of hospital discharges in the United States. Multivariable logistic regression and log-normal models were applied to assess associations. These models were adjusted for age, biological sex, race/ethnicity, income, and hospital setting.  

The results showed that ILD in individuals with SSc was linked to significantly worse hospital outcomes and ILD was tied to an 88% increase in the adjusted odds of inpatient mortality (aOR 95% CI: 1.53 to 2.31, P< 0.001). Hospital stays were 15% longer among those with ILD (aOR 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.28, P= 0.001). Additionally, the presence of ILD corresponded to a 33% rise in adjusted hospital costs (aOR 95% CI: 1.26 to 1.40, P< 0.001).  

Investigators concluded that the presence of SSc-ILD significantly impacted hospitalization outcomes. 

Source: advancesinrheumatology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42358-025-00455-6