Lung involvement in rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease of unknown etiology, characterized not only by joint destruction, but also by visceral organ involvement. Interstitial lung disease is considered the most common and serious pulmonary complication of RA, with a prevalence of about 50% according to most studies. As a rule, involvement of the lungs occurs several years after the onset of RA. The article presents a description of a clinical case of the development of respiratory disorders (severe dyspnea) as early as a month after RA onset.

Keywords

• rheumatoid arthritis
• interstitial lung disease
• clinical case