Autoimmunity, Immunosuppressive Therapy and Risk for COVID-19 Pneumonitis Among Subjects with Interstitial Lung Disease

Introduction: The impact of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) remains poorly understood. As patients with ILD often have severe underlying lung parenchymal involvement, and immunosuppressive therapy is common in this population, they are presumed to be at high risk for severe COVID-19 pneumonitis. We investigated clinical differences between those with ILD who tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus compared...