BACKGROUND: Clinically evident interstitial lung disease (ILD) affects between 10 and 42% of the patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Airway involvement seems to be even more common. Most of the available evidence comes from studies performed in established RA patients. The aim of our study was to know the prevalence of non-diagnosed lung disease (airway and interstitial involvement) in patients with early RA and look for associated factors. METHODS: We designed an observational, multicenter, cross-sectional study, and included patients with RA of less than two years since diagnosis. We performed a structured questionnaire, HRCT and lung functional tests looking for lung disease, together with joint disease evaluation. We analyzed which variables were associated with the presence of lung disease on HRCT. RESULTS: We included 83 patients, 83% females. The median (IQR) of time since RA diagnosis was 3 (1-6) months. In the HRCT, 57 patients had airway compromisea (72%), and 6 had interstitial abnormalities (7.5%). The most common altertion found in lung functional tests was a reduced DLCO (14%). The presence of at least one abnormality in the physical exam was associated with lung involvement on HRCT [13 (21.6%) vs 0 (0%); p = 0.026]. Also, patients with lung involvement presented significantly lower values of FVC% and DLCO%, and higher values of RV/TLC. No variable related to joint involvement was found associated with alterations in HRCT. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that a large proportion of early RA patients has abnormal findings in HRCT. Further studies are required to confirm these findings.
BACKGROUND: Clinically evident interstitial lung disease (ILD) affects between 10 and 42% of the patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Airway involvement seems to be even more common. Most of the available evidence comes from studies performed in established RA patients. The aim of our study was to know the prevalence of non-diagnosed lung disease (airway and interstitial involvement) in patients with early RA and look for associated factors. METHODS: We designed an observational, multicenter, cross-sectional study, and included patients with RA of less than two years since diagnosis. We performed a structured questionnaire, HRCT and lung functional tests looking for lung disease, together with joint disease evaluation. We analyzed which variables were associated with the presence of lung disease on HRCT. RESULTS: We included 83 patients, 83% females. The median (IQR) of time since RA diagnosis was 3 (1-6) months. In the HRCT, 57 patients had airway compromisea (72%), and 6 had interstitial abnormalities (7.5%). The most common altertion found in lung functional tests was a reduced DLCO (14%). The presence of at least one abnormality in the physical exam was associated with lung involvement on HRCT [13 (21.6%) vs 0 (0%); p = 0.026]. Also, patients with lung involvement presented significantly lower values of FVC% and DLCO%, and higher values of RV/TLC. No variable related to joint involvement was found associated with alterations in HRCT. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that a large proportion of early RA patients has abnormal findings in HRCT. Further studies are required to confirm these findings.
Authors: Leticia Kawano-Dourado; Tracy J Doyle; Karina Bonfiglioli; Márcio V Y Sawamura; Renato H Nakagawa; Fábio E Arimura; Hye J Lee; Diana Arrais de Souza Rangel; Cleonice Bueno; Carlos R R Carvalho; Maria Laura Sabbag; Camila Molina; Ivan O Rosas; Ronaldo A Kairalla Journal: Chest Date: 2020-05-16 Impact factor: 9.410
Authors: Markus M J Nielen; Dirkjan van Schaardenburg; Henk W Reesink; Rob J van de Stadt; Irene E van der Horst-Bruinsma; Margret H M T de Koning; Moud R Habibuw; Jan P Vandenbroucke; Ben A C Dijkmans Journal: Arthritis Rheum Date: 2004-02
Authors: Alberto Daniel Rocha-Muñoz; Manuel Ponce-Guarneros; Jorge Ivan Gamez-Nava; Eva Maria Olivas-Flores; Mayra Mejía; Pablo Juárez-Contreras; Erika Aurora Martínez-García; Esther Guadalupe Corona-Sánchez; Tania Marlen Rodríguez-Hernández; Mónica Vázquez-del Mercado; Mario Salazar-Páramo; Arnulfo Hernan Nava-Zavala; Ernesto German Cardona-Muñoz; Alfredo Celis; Laura González-Lopez Journal: J Immunol Res Date: 2015-05-19 Impact factor: 4.818