Role of B-lymphocyte chemoattractant (CXCL13) in interstitial lung fibrosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

ILD is an increasingly recognized complication of RA in which HRCT chest is more sensitive and allows for a confident and specific diagnosis. CXCL13 contributes to the pathogenesis of RA in humans and correlated with well-developed iBALT which is correlated with tissue damage in the lungs of RA patients. This study was conducted on 40 RA patients subclassifiedaccording to HRCT findings into two groups; group (A): 20 patients with ILDand group (B): 20 patients without ILDand 20 healthy controls for marker level to find out the role of CXCL13 in ILD in RA and to detect sensitivity of CXCL13 as a marker for detection of RA-ILD. DMARDs such as MTX and LEF are associated with an increased risk of RA-ILD, so the 40 RA patients were subclassified also according to intake of these drugs into three groups: MTX group (18 patients), LEF group (8 patients) and combined group (14 patients). All 40 patients were subjected to history taking including articular and extra-articular manifestations, thorough clinical examination, chest examination with grading of dyspnea by MRC dysnea scale and laboratory investigations as CBC, ESR, CRP, RF positivity and ACPA