In a multivariate analysis, we found that the assessment of the combination of MMP-2, MMP-7, MMP-9, MMP-10, MMP-12, and TIMP-1 was better for the identification of ILD in RA patients than each protein independently evaluated, yielding an AUC of 0.9606 (Fig. 5A). This evidence concerns the gene MMP7 and rheumatoid arthritis.