Influence of anti-TNF therapy on mortality in patients with rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease: results from the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register.
BACKGROUND
Anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapy has been associated with reports of rapid severe progression of rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD). However, reports also exist of favourable responses to anti-TNF therapy in patients with ILD. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of anti-TNF therapy on mortality in patients with pre-existing RA-ILD.


METHODS
Using data from the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register, a national prospective observational study, 367 patients with pre-existing RA-ILD were identified (299 treated with anti-TNF therapy and 68 treated with traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs)).


RESULTS
70/299 patients (23%) in the anti-TNF cohort died after a median follow-up of 3.8 years compared with 14/68 (21%) in the DMARD cohort after a median follow-up of 2.1 years. The mortality was 68 deaths/1000 person years (pyrs) (95% CI 53 to 86) in the anti-TNF cohort and 92/1000 pyrs (95% CI 50 to 155) in the DMARD cohort, generating an age- and sex-adjusted mortality rate ratio (aMRR) of 1.26 (95% CI 0.69 to 2.31). After further adjustment for potential confounders, the aMRR fell to 0.81 (95% CI 0.38 to 1.73) for the anti-TNF cohort compared with the DMARD cohort. RA-ILD was the underlying cause of death in 15/70 (21%) and 1/14 (7%) patients in the anti-TNF and DMARD cohorts, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
The mortality in patients with RA-ILD is not increased following treatment with anti-TNF therapy compared with traditional DMARDs. The proportion of deaths attributable to RA-ILD is higher in patients treated with anti-TNF therapy, although reporting bias may exist.
Dixon
W G
WG
Arthritis Research UK, Epidemiology Unit, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
Hyrich
K L
KL
Watson
K D
KD
Lunt
M
M
Symmons
D P M
DP
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D017563:Lung Diseases, Interstitial / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012042:Registries; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology
D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
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