Radiologic Features of Rheumatoid Arthritis Interstitial Lung Disease at Chest High Resolution Computed Tomography

Lung involvement is one of the most frequent extra articular involvements of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA related lung involvement can affect parenchyma, airway, vascular tree and serosa. Among all possible manifestations of lung disease, interstitial lung disease is the most severe being able to compromise quality of life and survival and involves about 20% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, chest high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) features of RA, with or without interstitial lung involvement, have not been clearly defined. Such features have been mostly investigated on small populations of RA patients, often including patients with connective tissue diseases (CTDs), namely systemic sclerosis, mixed connective tissue disease, idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, making difficult to discriminate possible specific features of RA interstitial lung disease (ILD).

The aims of this observational longitudinal study are to investigate: i) chest HRCT features of RA (frequency of radiologic HRCT patterns, fibrosis, nodules, bronchiectasis, etc.), associated or not to ILD; ii) possible associations between chest HRCT features and demographic, clinical and serologic characteristics of RA; iii) specific chest HRCT features of RA ILD, compared to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and CTD ILD (i.e., primary Sjogren syndrome, idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, etc), according to the Centres availability.

Consecutive, unselected, DICOM files of chest HRCT of adult RA patients (regardless a previous diagnosis of ILD) will be evaluated by an expert thoracic radiologist blinded to patients' clinical history.

HRCT patterns, presence of fibrosis and other lung abnormalities (cysts, nodules, pleural effusion, etc) will be recorded. In patients with RA ILD possible associations with demographic and clinical disease features will be also analysed (such as sex, disease duration, disease duration at ILD diagnosis, presence of ACPA, rheumatoid factor, ANA), inclusion of previous therapies.

After 2 years, new HRCT and lung function tests will be collected for each enrolled patients when available, to evaluate possible changes of lung involvement over time.