Key clinical point: Management of patients with rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD) should include regular assessment of disease activity and pulmonary function because both independently predicted the mortality risk in U.S. veterans with RA-ILD.
Major finding: Uncontrolled RA disease activity (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 3.00; 95% CI, 1.13-7.97) and forced vital capacity (FVC) impairment (aHR, 3.07; 95% CI, 1.03-9.19) were independently associated with higher mortality among US veterans with RA-ILD, with survival being the poorest among veterans with impaired disease activity and FVC impairment (aHR 4.43; 95% CI 1.70-11.55).
Study details: This was a prospective cohort study including 227 US veterans with RA-ILD.
Disclosures: This study was supported by the US Department of Veterans Affairs, the Rheumatology Research Foundation, and others. Several authors reported consulting with or receiving research funding from various sources.
Source: Brooks R et al. The impact of disease severity measures on survival in U.S. Veterans with rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2022 (Apr 4). Doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keac208