AUTHOR=Guiot Julien , Henket Monique , Ernst Marie , Seidel Laurence , Winandy Marie , Denis Anna , Frix Anne-Noëlle , Gester Fanny , Thys Marie , Giltay Laurie , Garah Omaima , Njock Makon-Sébastien , Canivet Perrine , Meunier Paul , Corhay Jean-Louis , Regnier Céline , Malaise Olivier , Malaise Michel , Louis Renaud 

TITLE=Airflow obstruction as a marker of adverse prognosis in rheumatoid arthritis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Medicine

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2023.1063012

DOI=10.3389/fmed.2023.1063012

ISSN=2296-858X

ABSTRACT=Objectives: 
We wanted to explore obstructive lung disease (OLD) in RA and its impact on morbi-mortality in these patients.
Methods: 
Our retrospective study included 309 patients suffering from RA with either obstructive (O-RA) or non-obstructive patterns (non-O-RA). OLD was defined based on the Tiffeneau index at the first available pulmonary functional test (PFT). The survival was calculated since the first PFT and represented by a Kaplan-Meier curve. The comparison between the populations considered was performed by the Log-Rank test. 
Results: 
Out of the 309 RA patients, 102 (33%) had airway obstruction on the first PFT. The overall survival time since the first PFT was significantly lower in the O-RA group than in the non-O-RA group (n= 207) (p <0.001). The median survival time was 11.75 years in the O-RA group and not defined in the non-O-RA group. Multivariate analysis identified OLD as an independent risk factor for mortality (HR 2.20; 95% CI 1.23-3.92, p<0.01).
Conclusion: 
Airway obstruction is an independent risk factor of mortality in RA and should be considered an early marker of poor prognosis. Further prospective studies are needed to determine the best management for those patients.