Clinical and Roentgenologic Signs of Collagen Diseases Involving the Thorax

Clinical and laboratory data are cited which may lead one to suspect the presence of a collagen disease, and diagnostic points are presented to aid in the differential diagnosis of the various collagen disorders. Clinical and roentgenographic manifestations of involvement of thoracic structures by collagen diseases is more common than has been stressed in the medical literature, including such relatively uncommon conditions as dermatomyositis. Roentgen abnormalities in the chest may quite often lead one to suspect the presence of a collagen disease, and certain combinations or sequential changes may even aid in the differential diagnosis of the various conditions. Roentgenographic and pathologic data support the separation of rheumatic pneumonitis as a specific entity.