Rheumatoid lung disease

Rheumatoid lung disease is a disease of the lung associated with RA, rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid lung disease is characterized by pleural effusion, pulmonary fibrosis, lung nodules and pulmonary hypertension. Common symptoms associated with the disease include shortness of breath, cough, chest pain and fever. It is estimated that about one quarter of people with rheumatoid arthritis develop this disease, which are more likely to develop among elderly men with a history of smoking.

Rheumatoid lung is separate from but often associated with Interstitial lung disease(ILD).

Signs and symptoms

Most common:

Chest Pain

Cough

Fever

Shortness of breath

Joint pain, stiffness, swelling

Skin nodules

People may not present with all these symptoms or none at all.

From most to least common:

Pleural involvement (pleurisy, effusions)

Pulmonary parenchymal nodules, more common in men than in women

Rheumatoid-associated interstitial lung disease

Bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia

Obliterative bronchiolitis (obstructive lung disease/bronchiectasis)

Rheumatoid-associated pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary vasculitis/arteritis

Shrinking lung syndrome

Miscellaneous: MTX, cricoarytenoid arthritis, infection, cancer

Causes

The exact cause of rheumatoid lung disease is unknown. However, associated factors could be due largely to smoking. Sometimes, the medicines used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, especially methotrexate, may result in lung disease.

Prevention:

Stop smoking: Chemicals found in cigarettes can irritate already delicate lung tissue, leading to further complications.