September 29, 2011

Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Twice as Likely to Have COPD

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Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are twice as likely as individuals without RA to suffer from comorbid chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), even in the absence of cigarette smoking, according to findings from a large case–control study. Eric Matteson, MD, an expert not involved in the study, said these and other data establish a correlation between lung disease and RA that justifies performing routine pulmonary tests in all RA patients. “I think it’s prudent to conduct baseline pulmonary function studies even in the absence of symptoms and to periodically reevaluate lung function,” said Dr. Matteson, chair of the Division of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minn.

Pain Medicine News, by David Wild, 9/29/11

Tags: Pulmonary, Rheumatology

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