Rheumatoid arthritis associated interstitial lung disease

Rheumatoid arthritis associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD) is one of the pulmonary manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis.

Epidemiology

There may be a greater male predilection with onset of lung disease typically occurring in the 5^th to 6^th decades of life ⁵.

Radiographic features

CT

Four major radiographic patterns have been identified in patients with RA-ILD which include ¹:

• usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP)-like pattern with bilateral subpleural reticulation with or without honeycombing: considered to be a hallmark of worse prognosis ²
• non-specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP)-like pattern with predominant ground-glass opacities
• inflammatory airway disease pattern with centrilobular branching lines with or without bronchial dilatation
• organizing pneumonia-like pattern with patchy areas of consolidation

See also

• rheumatoid arthritis