Prevalence of pulmonary involvement in rheumatoid arthritis and its relationship to some characteristics of the patients. A radiological and clinical study.
The chest radiographs of 309 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were compared with those of 309 controls. In RA, lung nodules were present in 0.3% and pleural effusion in 0.6% only. Diffuse reticulonodular fibrosis occurred in 4.5% of the RA patients and 0.3% of the controls (p less than 0.001) and was related to subcutaneous nodules, antinuclear antibodies and high Waaler-Rose titres. Diffuse reticular fibrosis occurred in 6.8% and 5.2% respectively and was related only to age greater than 60 and cigarette smoking. Healed tuberculosis occurred in 17.2% of the RA males and in 6.1% of the male controls (p less than 0.025). Sequelae of pleurisy occurred in 16.2% of the RA females and in 8.1% of female controls (p less than 0.025) and was related to involvement of many joints and high ESR. Sequelae of pleurisy occurred in 24.2% of the RA males and 16.2% of the male controls. The pleuropulmonary findings were not related to the therapy given or to the death rate during a mean follow-up period of 5.7 years.
D000293:Adolescent; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications*; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D006046:Gold / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010998:Pleurisy / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D011859:Radiography; D012744:Sex Ratio; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000401:mortality
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D006046:Gold