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Rheumatoid lung disease - Overview

Alternative Names

Lung disease - rheumatoid arthritis; Rheumatoid nodules

Definition of Rheumatoid lung disease:

Rheumatoid lung disease is a group of lung problems related to rheumatoid arthritis. The condition can include:

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Pulmonary abnormalities are common in rheumatoid arthritis, but they often cause no symptoms.

The causes of lung disease associated with rheumatoid arthritis are unknown. Sometimes the medicines used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, especially methotrexate, may result in lung disease.

  • Reviewed last on: 6/10/2011
  • David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Denis Hadjiliadis, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Raghu G. Interstitial lung disease. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 92.

Corte TJ, duBois RM. The lungs and connective tissue diseases. In: Mason RJ, Broaddus VC, Martin TR, et al, eds. Murray and Nadel's Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2010:chap 58.

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