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). Here, MMP2 is linked to rheumatoid arthritis.