DOI: https://doi.org/10.36347/sjmcr.2026.v14i07.015

Pages: 1670-1674

Introduction: Pulmonary involvement is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in systemic scleroderma (SSc). Identifying predictive factors would enable targeted monitoring and early management. Materials and Methods: This is a single-centre retrospective study including 71 patients with SSc (ACR/EULAR 2013 criteria), followed between January 2012 and December 2024. Patients with pulmonary involvement were compared to those without pulmonary involvement. Univariate and then multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independently associated factors. Results: Pulmonary involvement was found in 35 patients (49.3%). Diffuse interstitial pneumonia was the main involvement (100% of cases), with a predominance of the non-specific interstitial pneumonia pattern (69%). Pulmonary arterial hypertension was observed in 20% of patients. In univariate analysis, digital ulcers (p = 0.03), diffuse skin involvement (p = 0.009) and the presence of anti-SSA antibodies (p = 0.02) were significantly associated with pulmonary involvement. In multivariate analysis, only the presence of anti-SSA antibodies remained independently associated (OR 5.84; 95% CI 1.09–31.2; p = 0.039). Conclusion: The presence of anti-SSA antibodies could be a predictive marker of pulmonary involvement in SLE. Prospective multicentre studies are needed to confirm these findings.