•  



Interstitial Lung Disease and Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Screening Practices in Systemic Sclerosis: Survey Insights of Rheumatologists in the Middle East and North Africa Region | MJR - Mediterranean Journal of Rheumatology
ياسمين عباس حمادي
Authors : Rajaie Namas1 ,Sarah Al Qassimi1 , Jawahir Alameri1\r\n, Samar Al Emadi2 , Nelly Ziade3 , Ahlam Almarzooqi4 , \r\nFarida Al Balushi5\r\n, Mohammed A. Omair6 , Taha Qardaghi7 , Yasameen Abbas Humadi8 , Mohamed Alawlaqi1\r\n, \r\nHanan Al Rayes9 , Saadeya Naji10, Fatima Haji11, Fajer Altamimi12, Mansour Alazmi13 , Hani Shatnawi14, Waleed Hafiz15 , \r\nDeena Ahmed16, Mariam Almansoori16, Jamal Al Saleh17 , Hazem Rifaai18, Mahdi Abusalameh18 , Zaki Abou Zahr19, \r\nHiba Khogali20, Sehriban Diab16, Maha Anbar21, Adeeba Al Herz22 , Amal Elganzoury23, Shaima Ewila24, Basant Elnady25 , \r\nWafa Madanat26, Imad Uthman27 , Asia Mubashir1 , Mohamed Elarabi1 , Suzan Attar
Background: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) are significant causes of \r\nmorbidity and mortality in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Our objective was to determine screening practices for ILD \r\nand PAH in patients with SSc among rheumatologists in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Methods: \r\nAn online questionnaire was distributed to rheumatologists across the MENA region. Participants were asked to \r\nestimate the proportion of SSc patients in their practice, indicate whether they screen for ILD and PAH, and specify \r\nhow often they utilise screening modalities, including chest X-ray (CXR), high-resolution CT (HRCT), pulmonary \r\nfunction tests (PFTs), echocardiograms (ECHO), and the use of the DETECT algorithm. Data were analysed using \r\ndescriptive statistics, with p-values ≤0.05 regarded as statistically significant. Results: 394 respondents completed \r\nthe questionnaire from 17 MENA countries. 389 (98.73%) reported screening for ILD, and 369 (93.65%) screened \r\nfor PAH. 270 respondents performed screening at the time of SSc diagnosis (68.53%). Screening approaches for \r\nILD included CXR (211, 53.55%), HRCT (321, 81.47%), and PFTs (299, 75.89%), while PAH screening included ECHO \r\n(346, 87.82%), and the DETECT algorithm (26.14%). Statistical differences were observed in the average number of \r\nSSc patients seen per year (p=0.0008), gender of respondents (p=0.02), current age (p=0.02), background training \r\n(p

(FULL ARTICLE LINK) Read more ...
18/08/202