Rheumatoid Lung Disease

Rheumatoid lung disease is a set of lung problems related to rheumatoid arthritis (an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints). This lung disease includes conditions like pulmonary fibrosis, high blood pressure in the lungs, nodules (mostly benign), fluid accumulation in chest (pleural effusions) and respiratory infections. It is also seen that some rheumatoid arthritis patients are affected with lung cancer too. Usually, this disease causes very few symptoms. There is no specific reason for this lung disease associated with rheumatoid arthritis, but it is said that medications used for treating the latter may result in the former.

Causes and Symptoms

This lung disease may be directly associated with rheumatoid arthritis; may be a side effect of the medications for the latter disease; infections may be secondary to immunosuppression or may be due to some already existing medical conditions. Symptoms of rheumatoid lung disease include cough, fever, chest pain and breathing trouble. These symptoms are in addition to the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis like skin nodules, joint swelling, joint pain and joint stiffness.

Diagnosis

This disease can be diagnosed through various laboratory tests like X-ray and CT scan. Sometimes, echocardiogram is also done, to find out the blood pressure variation in the lungs. Bronchoscopic, open lung biopsy is also preferred by some doctors, where a small part of lung tissue is removed through surgery and is tested for any lung disease, infection or cancer. Another test called 'thoracentesis' is also performed to remove the fluid accumulated in the chest. This is done by inserting a needle in the space between the outer layer of the lungs and the wall of the chest. This test is conducted either to find out the reason for fluid accumulation or to provide relief to the patient. Even a regular checkup with a stethoscope can detect some crackling sounds in the chest.

Treatment

Treatment is mainly focused on the underlying disorder and the complications arising from that disorder. Immunosuppressive therapies (involves an act that reduces activation of the immune system and is used to treat autoimmune diseases), and corticosteroids are found to be useful in some cases.

Rheumatoid arthritis is found commonly in women, but rheumatoid lung disease is prevalent in men. Almost 30 to 40% of people with rheumatoid arthritis suffer from abnormalities in the functioning of lungs. Apart from rheumatoid arthritis, smoking also plays an important role in aggravating this lung disease.