Pulmonary Involvement in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the most common chronic connective tissue disease, is a symmetrical erosive polyarthritis that afflicts women more frequently than men. Pleuropulmonary involvement, however, is more common in men, particularly in those with severe, deforming joint disease, subcutaneous nodules, and high titers of rheumatoid factor (Figure 19.1a, b, c). Other risk factors include smoking, alpha-1 antitrypsin variants, extensive extra-articular disease, and the class II MHC HLA-DR4 phenotype.