Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with interstitial lung disease admitted to Razi Hospital, the North of Iran

Respiratory disease is the third cause of death, which accounts for one-seventh of all deaths worldwide and millions of people suffer from chronic lung disease in the world. Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are one of the most important lung diseases. So, we aimed to evaluate demographic data and clinical characteristics of ILD patients in our region. This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on patients diagnosed with ILD who were referred to Razi Hospital, Rasht, Iran during 2013-2018. Out of a total of 300 participants, 160 (53.3%) patients were non-occupational exposed. The most prevalent clinical symptoms and signs were coughs, dyspnea, and abnormal findings in lung auscultation. Totally, 113 (37.7%) of patients mostly consumed methotrexate. Among 158 patients with reported antinuclear antibody (ANA) status, 29 (18.4%) cases were positive. In 186 (71.3%) cases with available pathological findings, alveolar wall thickening, fibroblast deposition, and honeycomb pattern was reported. Also, granulomatous lung tissue and diffuse fibrosis were detected in 58 (22.2%) patients. ILD patients with different clinical conditions may show regional differences in risk factors, patient exposure, access to medical facilities for diagnosis and treatment, and genetic differences, which require careful attention to these factors individually in each region.