Skip to content
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
immunology and microbiology
Respiratory symptoms in rheumatoid arthritis: Relation to pulmonary abnormalities detected by high-resolution CT and pulmonary functional testing
Rheumatology International, Volume 32, No. 7, Year 2012
Notification
URL copied to clipboard!
Description
Pulmonary disease is the most frequent and among the most severe extra-Articular manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, this issue has not been sufficiently studied in Egyptian patients. The objectives of the present study are to investigate the prevalence and types of pulmonary involvement using high-resolution computed tomography scan (HRCT) and pulmonary function tests (PFT) and evaluate the association between respiratory symptoms and RA-lung disease in a group of Egyptian RA patients. Thirty-six RA patients were recruited; 34 females (94.4%) and 2 males (5.6%) with median age of 48.5 years, and none of them was smoker. Detailed medical and drug histories were obtained. PFT, plain X-ray of the chest, and HRCT were performed to all subjects involved. Nearly 64% of RA patients demonstrated abnormalities in PFT and 47% in HRCT. Mixed restrictive and obstructive pattern was the commonest. Nearly two-Thirds of our patients reported one or more pulmonary symptom whether dyspnea, cough, wheezing, or phlegm. Dyspnea was the most frequent symptom. Respiratory symptoms were statistically more common in patients with lung disease. The advanced age, high radiological score, and severity of rheumatoid disease were found to be predictive of lung involvement. Among respiratory symptoms, dyspnea and cough were associated with any pulmonary abnormalities. When specific pulmonary abnormalities were considered, only dyspnea was identified as predictor for restriction. For obstructive abnormality, both cough and wheezing provided valid prediction. We conclude that pulmonary involvement is a common manifestation in Egyptian RA patients, and the pattern of involvement is generally consistent with other studies that were performed worldwide. Specific respiratory symptoms could be used as practical, easy, and costeffective method, especially in older and with more severe RA patients, to discriminate patients in need of subsequent PFT and HRCT imaging. © Springer-Verlag 2011.
Authors & Co-Authors
Youssef, Amir A.
Egypt, Mansoura
Faculty of Medicine
Machaly, Shereen A.
Egypt, Mansoura
Faculty of Medicine
El-Dosoky, Mohamed E.
Egypt, Mansoura
Faculty of Medicine
El-Maghraby, Nermeen M.
Egypt, Talkha City
Talkha Central Hospital
Statistics
Citations: 49
Authors: 4
Affiliations: 2
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1007/s00296-011-1905-z
ISSN:
01728172
e-ISSN:
1437160X
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Participants Gender
Female