High Mortality with Lung Disease in RA | Arthritis Information

 

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who develop interstitial lung disease face a very high mortality risk, a population-based study found.

The risk of death for RA patients who develop interstitial lung disease was nearly triple compared with patients without pulmonary involvement (HR 2.86, 95% CI 1.98 to 4.12), according to Tim Bongartz, MD, and colleagues from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

And median survival of RA patients after a diagnosis of interstitial lung disease was only 2.6 years, considerably lower than the expected survival of 9.9 years for RA patients of the same age and sex without lung disease (P<0.001), the researchers reported in the June issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.

These data provide evidence of the "devastating impact" of interstitial lung disease on survival in patients with RA, they stated.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/Arthritis/20430

And median survival of RA patients after a diagnosis of interstitial lung disease was only 2.6 years, considerably lower than the expected survival of 9.9 years for RA patients of the same age and sex without lung disease (P<0.001), the researchers reported in the June issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.

 

Guess I managed to defy the odds again.  I was diagnosed with ILD 8 years ago.  I have a yearly check up with my pulmonologist and to date there's been no change.  Am going to go to medpage and read the rest.  Thanks, I think, Lindy

Wow. I was diagnosed with interstitial ling disease in 1980. Had my chest tapped numerous times over the years and then had pleuraectomies (sp?) done 6 months apart in 2005. I was down to 20% lung capacity. You wouldn't know I ever had a lung problem now days, I do have some bronchial inflammation, but good lung capacity. I'm a lucky, lucky boy. Thanks for sharing the info.  [QUOTE=dsquared]Wow. I was diagnosed with interstitial ling disease in 1980. Had my chest tapped numerous times over the years and then had pleuraectomies (sp?) done 6 months apart in 2005. I was down to 20% lung capacity. You wouldn't know I ever had a lung problem now days, I do have some bronchial inflammation, but good lung capacity. I'm a lucky, lucky boy. Thanks for sharing the info.  [/QUOTE]

what made the change for you, dsquared?
But what about RA survival of 9.9 years WITHOUT lung involvement?    What's that all about?  Never heard those statistics before.  When I was diagnosed in 1980, the only treatment options were gold, plaquenil, penicillamine, Naprosyn and aspirin. I was pretty miserable. When Methotrexate became available, the change was almost immediate. I've been on it ever since. I've had multiple joint replacements in my hands and feet, and I've had several joint fusions. Much of the damage was done in the first couple of years, pre-methotrexate.
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