Effect of targeted therapies on pulmonary function in rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis - PubMed
6 hours ago
- #interstitial lung disease
- #DMARDs
- #rheumatoid arthritis
- Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a serious extra-articular manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), increasing morbidity and mortality.
- The study aimed to assess the effect of biologic and targeted synthetic DMARDs (bDMARDs and tsDMARDs) on ILD progression in RA, focusing on pulmonary function tests (FVC and DLCO) and HRCT outcomes.
- A systematic review and meta-analysis included 18 observational studies with 958 patients (mean age 65; 57% female). Common ILD patterns were usual interstitial pneumonia (48%) and nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (40%).
- Drugs analyzed included rituximab, abatacept, JAK inhibitors, TNF inhibitors, and tocilizumab.
- Pooled analysis showed no significant overall change in FVC (mean difference -0.85%, p=0.29) or DLCO (+0.79, p=0.16), suggesting stabilization of pulmonary function.
- Conclusion: bDMARDs and tsDMARDs stabilize pulmonary function in RA-ILD, with no significant differences between agents. Further studies integrating PFT and HRCT are needed for long-term safety assessment.