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High-resolution computed tomography and rheumatoid arthritis: semi-quantitative evaluation of lung damage and its correlation with clinical and functional abnormalities

  • CHEST RADIOLOGY
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Abstract

Background

We aimed to establish risk factors for radiological lung damage associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and determine whether clinical findings and pulmonary function test were correlated with Warrick score calculated on the basis of high-resolution computed tomography or not.

Methods

One hundred thirty RA patients who were followed at rheumatology outpatient clinic were included through retrospective screening. To evaluate radiological involvement, the semi-quantitative evaluation proposed by Warrick was used to assign a score for each lesion based on the severity and extent of the pulmonary damage. In addition to the total score, indices for alveolitis and fibrosis were created. The correlations between each score and clinical and functional parameters were tested for all patients.

Results

We showed that age was an independent explanatory variable of radiological lung damage. Percentage of predicted lung diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DLco) below 75 % and presence of respiratory symptoms were found to contribute more to radiological lung damage. Warrick score was positively correlated with age at study onset (r = 0.43, p < 0.001). In addition, a negative correlation was found between Warrick score and DLco % predicted (r = −0.357, p = 0.001). Alveolitis index was negatively correlated with DLco % predicted (r = −0.321, p = 0.003).

Conclusions

It is considered that this semi-quantitative method may have added value in early diagnosis, appropriate treatment decisions and follow-up when taken into account together with risk factors associated with pulmonary damage in RA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rheumatology, Medicine Faculty, Kocaeli University, Kocaeli, Turkey

    Baris Yilmazer, Fulya Coşan & Ayşe Çefle

  2. Department of Radiology, Medicine Faculty, Kocaeli University, Kocaeli, Turkey

    Sevtap Gümüştaş & Nagihan İnan

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, Medicine Faculty, Kocaeli University, Kocaeli, Turkey

    Fatih Ensaroğlu & Gökhan Erbağ

  4. Department of Pulmonary Disease, Medicine Faculty, Kocaeli University, Kocaeli, Turkey

    Füsun Yıldız

Authors
  1. Baris Yilmazer
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  2. Sevtap Gümüştaş
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Correspondence to Baris Yilmazer.

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There was no funding support in this study.

Conflict of interest

Baris Yilmazer declares that he has no conflict of interest. Sevtap Gümüştaş declares that she has no conflict of interest. Fulya Coşan declares that she has no conflict of interest. Nagihan İnan declares that she has no conflict of interest. Fatih Ensaroğlu declares that he has no conflict of interest. Gökhan Erbağ declares that he has no conflict of interest. Füsun Yıldız declares that she has no conflict of interest. Ayşe Cefle declares that she has no conflict of interest.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Yilmazer, B., Gümüştaş, S., Coşan, F. et al. High-resolution computed tomography and rheumatoid arthritis: semi-quantitative evaluation of lung damage and its correlation with clinical and functional abnormalities. Radiol med 121, 181–189 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11547-015-0590-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11547-015-0590-5

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