In the Lungs: Asthma & COPD May Be Early, Independent Risk Factors for RA

Earlier RA Identification
Dr. Ford hopes primary care providers caring for patients with asthma or COPD are aware of the increased RA risk in these populations and will take action to appropriately refer patients to a rheumatologist in the case of early signs of RA, such as joint pain and stiffness.

Early diagnosis, the prompt initiation of treatment and early achieved remission for RA patients have been found to be major predictors of positive long-term clinical and functional outcomes. It has been suggested that when RA disease activity is controlled early, patients may be more likely to experience sustained improvement.⁴ 

Carina Stanton is a freelance science journalist based in Denver.

 References

1. Ford J, Liu X, Chu S, et al. Asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and subsequent risk for incident rheumatoid arthritis among women: A prospective cohort study (abstract 186). Arthritis Rheumatol. 2019 Oct; 71(suppl 10).
2. Zaccardelli A., Liu X, Ford JA, et al. Elevated anti‐citrullinated protein antibodies prior to rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis and risks for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2020 Jan 21. [online ahead of print]
3. Friedlander HM, Ford JA, Zaccardelli A, et al. Obstructive lung diseases and risk of rheumatoid arthritis. Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2020 Jan;16(1):37–50.
4. Monti S, Montecucco C, Bugatti S, et al. Rheumatoid arthritis treatment: The earlier the better to prevent joint damage. RMD Open. 2015 Aug 15;1(Suppl 1):e000057. eCollection 2015.