title: Pericardial and pulmonary involvement in rheumatoid arthritis in Turkey.
abstract: Pericardial and lung involvement in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), suspected to be less severe in a developing nation (Turkey), have been evaluated. We have studied clinical, echocardiographic and pulmonary findings (radiological and functional) in 93 consecutive Turkish patients with definite/classical RA. Findings were compared with those of a group of patients with osteoarthritis or local rheumatological conditions (n = 60) in a blind protocol. Fifty patients with systemic lupus (SLE) were studied as a high risk control group for pericardial involvement. While pericardial disease was detected in 5.5% (5/90) of RA patients, it was detected in 6.6% (4/60) of the control patients. SLE patients had a 26% (13/50) prevalence. Interstitial lung disease was found in 27.7% of RA patients but it was present in 6.6% (4/60) of the control patients. We observed that a group of patients with RA in Turkey had a low prevalence of pericardial disease. This is further evidence that RA has a mild course in developing countries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Cerraphpaşa Medical Faculty, University of Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Imeryüz
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yazici
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koçak
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Erk
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ozder
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Karcier
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ozkan
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ongen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yurdakul
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ozdoğan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications*; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D011859:Radiography; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D012907:Smoking; D014421:Turkey