Rheumatic Disease-Associated Lung Disease Multidisciplinary Outpatient Clinic

Introduction

Rheumatic and immune-mediated diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjögren syndrome, inflammatory myopathies, systemic sclerosis, vasculitis, etc.) commonly involve the lungs, leading to serious complications such as interstitial lung disease and pulmonary arterial hypertension. Moreover, patients with rheumatic and immune-mediated diseases are prone to developing pulmonary infections during the diagnostic and treatment process, and it is difficult to distinguish these from the primary disease. This outpatient clinic was jointly established by expert teams from the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, and Department of Radiology. Relying on a multidisciplinary collaboration model, it provides patients with rheumatic disease-related lung diseases with "one-stop" precise assessment, individualized treatment, and long-term follow-up management, improving patients’ prognosis and quality of life.