Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a common and highly fatal manifestation of idiopathic in ammatory myopathies (IIMs). T helper (Th) cells play important roles in the initiation of ILD. Here, we investigated the clinical signi cance of peripheral blood Th cells in IIMs-ILD patients.
Methods.11 healthy controls (HC) and 57 patients diagnosed with IIMs were included, including 30 with ILD (IIMs-ILD) and 23 without ILD (IIMs-non-ILD). Circulating Th1, Th2, Th17, and Treg cells were examined by ow cytometry, and their correlation with clinical and laboratory ndings was analyzed by Spearman's correlation and logistic regression.
Results.The proportion of Th1 cells decreased and Th2 cells increased in IIMs-ILD compared with IIMs-non-ILD patients (median (quartile): 2.