Inclusion criteria
infection, IMID, ILD, Treatment-refractory
INFECTION, INTERSTITIAL PNEUMONITIS
Treatment-refractory patients with progressive IMID-IP and without prior immunotherapy were eligible for participation if the following inclusion criteria were met: diagnosis of IMID and ILD by a specialized multidisciplinary team consisting of ILD pulmonologists, thoracic radiologists, rheumatologists, and pathologists. Diagnosis of IP progression by a multidisciplinary team guided by the strict criteria of the study protocol: (I) at least two pulmonary function tests within the last 6–9 months; (II) pulmonary function: forced vital capacity (FVC) less than 50% predicted and/or diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) less than 40% predicted or deterioration in pulmonary function demonstrated by any of the following within the last year (more than 10% decrease in FVC, more than 15% decrease in DLCO). In addition, patients were considered refractory to first-line therapy (corticosteroids) and second-line therapy (cyclophosphamide or azathioprine). Exclusion criteria were residual lung volume greater than 120% of the predicted value at screening and DLCO less than 25% of the predicted value at screening, measured at rest. Patients who showed signs of infection were excluded. The detailed criteria for the study, registered as rituximab in interstitial pneumonitis (RITUX-IP), can be found in the supplementary file (Table 