Photo Credit: Phira Phonruewiangphing

The following is a summary of “Pulmonary and extra-pulmonary effects of lung transplantation in an Italian cohort of patients with systemic sclerosis,” published in the September 2024 issue of Rheumatology by Iannone et al.

Lung transplantation (LuTx) can be life-saving for patients with Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) who have severe lung disease. This study looks at how well these patients survive after the procedure.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study assessing patients’ survival and lung transplant’s impact on other systemic disease symptoms. 

They reviewed patients with SSc who had lung transplants from 2010 to 2021. Evaluations included skin involvement by modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS), disease activity (EUSTAR index [0-9]), and lung function was evaluated by forced vital capacity (FVC) at baseline, 6, 12, and 24 months post-transplant. Patient survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier methods. 

The results showed that 13 patients (9 men, 4 women) with a median age of 48.7 were included. FVC improved from 56% to 78% of predicted values at 2 years (P=0.003). The mRSS dropped from 7.4 (± 3.8) to 3.3 (± 2.5) in patients affected by diffuse cutaneous scleroderma (dcSSc) (P=0.02). The modified EUSTAR index decreased from 2.54 (± 1.8) to 0.49 ( ± 0.5) at 2 years (P=0.02). Survival rates were 92.3% at 2 years and 76.9% at 5 years, with no unexpected adverse events. 

Investigators concluded that lung transplantation is a promising option for patients with SSc in their end-stage lung disease, showing excellent 2-year survival. Beyond improved lung function, LuTx also led to better skin scores and overall disease activity, with no unexpected complications.

Source: academic.oup.com/rheumatology/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/rheumatology/keae479/7762111