Key clinical point: The use of conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs did not increase the risk for rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD) progression, except leflunomide, which increased the risk for ILD-progression in patients with severe ILD.
Major finding: Overall, the use vs no use of methotrexate, tacrolimus, or leflunomide was not associated with an increased risk for ILD progression; however, leflunomide significantly increased the risk for ILD progression in patients with reduced lung function (adjusted hazard ratio 8.42; 95% CI 2.61-27.15).
Study details: This prospective cohort study included 143 patients with RA-ILD who received methotrexate, leflunomide, or tacrolimus.
Disclosures: This study was supported by Seoul National University Hospital and Korea Health Technology R&D Project funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Kim J-W et al. Methotrexate, leflunomide, and tacrolimus use and the progression of rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease. Rheumatology (Oxford) . 2022 (Nov 17). Doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keac651