Systemic diseases involving the lung

As clinicians who treat patients with lung diseases, we are required to have a good knowledge of general medicine in order to treat our patients holistically. Nowhere is that more apparent than in systemic diseases involving the lung. Specialists in other fields may be the primary specialist for patients with systemic diseases such as a connective tissue disease or systemic vasculitis, or we may be the primary specialist if the condition is primarily affecting the lungs. In any case, close collaboration across specialities is required, sometimes within multidisciplinary clinics or meetings, to provide optimal care for these patients.