Cavitary pulmonary rheumatoid nodules in a patient on leflunomide: A case report

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease that can cause extra-articular manifestations, in particular pleuropulmonary involvement, which is the second leading cause of death in this connective tissue disease. We report a rare pulmonary manifestation of RA. This was a 58-year-old patient being followed for RA on leflunomide with 3 excavated pulmonary nodules measuring 13 mm, 10 mm and 6 mm, for which the diagnostic hypotheses of infection, pulmonary metastases and rheumatoid nodules had been put forward. The diagnosis of excavated pulmonary nodules in rheumatoid arthritis was made after aspiration of one of the nodules, which ruled out infectious and cancerous causes. These nodules regressed 6 months after leflunomide was stopped.

Keywords

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Pulmonary nodules
• Leflunomide