Key clinical point: Almost one-third of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD) experience acute exacerbation (AE), which significantly affects overall survival.
Major finding: Overall, AE was experienced by 28.1% of patients with RA-ILD, with the 5-year cumulative incidence being 29.4%. The occurrence of AE was significantly associated with a higher risk for mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 2.423; P < .001).
Study details: The findings come from a retrospective analysis involving 310 patients with RA-ILD.
Disclosures: This study was supported by a grant from the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea, funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology. All the authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Kwon BS et al. Chest. 2022 (Jan 11). Doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2022.01.007