Prevalence of symptomatic bronchiectasis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the prevalence of symptomatic bronchiectasis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.


METHODS
Cross-sectional retrospective study of 453 rheumatoid arthritis patients. All patients completed a questionnaire designed to detect manifestations of bronchiectasis and had a chest film taken. Computed tomography of the chest was performed in those patients whose chest film was normal.


RESULTS
Thirteen patients (2.9%), all female, had symptoms that met Walker's criteria for definite (n = 7) or probable (n = 6) bronchiectasis. Symptom onset was during childhood or adolescence in 69% of cases and antedated the first symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in all patients but one. Six of the 13 patients (46%) had chest film abnormalities suggestive of bronchiectasis, and three of the remaining seven patients had abnormal computed tomography findings, yielding a total of nine cases of bronchiectasis confirmed by imaging studies among the 13 patients with suggestive symptoms (69%). This proportion rose to 90% when the three patients who failed to come to their computed tomography appointment were excluded.


CONCLUSIONS
Using a methodological approach similar to that previously used by pneumologists, we found a 2.9% prevalence of symptomatic bronchiectasis in a population of hospitalized rheumatoid arthritis patients, which is higher than the 0.03% prevalence previously reported in the population at large.
Allain
J
J
Rheumatology Department (1), La Cavale Blanche Hospital, Brest, France.
Saraux
A
A
Guedes
C
C
Valls
I
I
Devauchelle
V
V
Le Goff
P
P
D000293:Adolescent; D017668:Age of Onset; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D001987:Bronchiectasis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed