title: [Pulmonary infections in patients with rheumatoid arthritis].
abstract: We studied 149 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients (mean age 68.0 years; 68 men, 81 women) with pulmonary infections. The mean age at the onset of RA and the duration of RA was 57.2 +/- 15.2 years and 10.9 +/- 11.5 years, respectively. Pulmonary infections included nontuberculous mycobacteriosis in 59 patients (Mycobacterium avium complex infection, 50 cases : Mycobacterium kansasii infection, 4 cases; others, 5 cases), pneumonia in 46 patients, pulmonary tuberculosis in 28 patients, pulmonary aspergillosis in 12 patients, pulmonary cryptococcosis in 5 patients, Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia in 5 patients, lung abscess in 9 patients, exacerbation of bronchiectasis in 7 patients, and empyema in 4 patients. One hundred percent of patients with exacerbation of bronchiectasis, 91.7% of patients with pulmonary aspergillosis, 87% of patients with pneumonia, and 81.4% of patients with nontuberculous mycobacteriosis had underlying lung diseases. The pulmonary infections during therapy with steroids were pulmonary tuberculosis (78.6%), pneumonia (65.2%), and pulmonary aspergillosis (58.3%), while the pulmonary infections during methotrexate treatment were Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (80%), pulmonary cryptococcosis (40%), and pulmonary tuberculosis (28.6%). Pulmonary infections in RA patients who were taking TNFalpha inhibitors included 1 patient each with nontuberculous mycobacteriosis, pneumonia, pulmonary tuberculosis, and Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia. Among the RA patients with lung abscess, malignancy was noted in 55.6%, and diabetes mellitus in 22.2%. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the second-most-common cause of pneumonia and cause of all exacerbations of bronchiectasis. As well as immunosuppressive medications (steroids, methotrexate, TNFalpha inhibitors) and systemic comorbid diseases, underlying lung diseases could be one of the risk factor for pulmonary infections in patients with RA. The dominant risk factor for each pulmonary infection in patients with RA might be different.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Saitama Cardiovascular and Respiratory Center.
authors.forename: Noboru
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takayanagi
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsuchiya
authors.forename: Daidou
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tokunaga
authors.forename: Yousuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miyahara
authors.forename: Shouzaburo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Hiroo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Mikio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ubukata
authors.forename: Kazuyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kurashima
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yanagisawa
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sugita
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008172:Lung Diseases, Fungal / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000209:etiology*; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012307:Risk Factors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D011239:Prednisolone; D008727:Methotrexate