Prevalence Of Pulmonary Manifestations In A Cohort Of Egyptian Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a complex autoimmune and progressive inflammatory disease that involves the joints and leads to their destruction. The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis is 0.5%–1.0% in the general population worldwide (Fattahi and Mirshafiey, 2012). In addition to articular disease, multiple other organ systems may be involved, with extra-articular manifestations (EAM) in the heart and vascular system, lungs, skin, and eyes, contributing to the excess morbidity and mortality of patients with RA (Turesson, 2013).

Almost all components of the respiratory system have been shown to be abnormal in patients with RA. RA can affect the lung in different ways: interstitial lung disease (ILD), pleuritis, pleural effusion, rheumatoid nodules associated or not with pneumoconiosis (Caplan’s syndrome), airway obstruction, vasculitis, pulmonary hypertension (PH), and involvement of the chest wall an