Cytokine profile of bronchoalveolar lavage in systemic sclerosis with interstitial lung disease: comparison with usual interstitial pneumonia

Interstitial lung disease (ILD), which often develops in systemic sclerosis (SSc), is associated with a better prognosis than idiopathic usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) because only a limited number of patients with SSc progress to end stage fibrosis. Mechanisms driving the fibrotic evolution of ILD are still poorly understood, but, recently, on the basis of animal models, a pathogenetic role has been ascribed to an imbalance in the local Th1/Th2 response, with an expansion of the Th2 profile.