Effect of rituximab or tumour necrosis factor inhibitors on lung infection and survival in rheumatoid arthritis-associated bronchiectasis

Prevalence and risk factors of bronchiectasis in rheumatoid arthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis for the prevalence and risk factors of rheumatoid arthritis-related bronchiectasis (RA-BR).

METHODS

We queried PubMed and EMBASE databases to identify published literature related to prevalence and risk factors for RA-BR among patients with RA. Data extraction included study design, country, year, method of RA-BR detection, RA characteristics, numerator of RA-BR cases and denominator of patients with RA, and associations with RA-BR presence. We performed a meta-analysis using random or fixed effects models to estimate the prevalence of RA-BR among RA.

RESULTS

Out of a total of 253 studies, we identified 41 total studies that reported on prevalence (n = 34), risk factors (n = 5), or both (n = 2). The included studies had heterogeneous methods to identify RA-BR. Among the 36 studies reporting prevalence, 608 RA-BR cases were identified from a total of 8569 patients with RA. In the meta-analysis, the pooled overall prevalence of RA-BR among RA was 18.7% (95%CI 13.7-24.3%) using random effects and 3.8% (95%CI 3.3-4.2%) using fixed effects. Among studies that used high-resolution chest computed tomography (HRCT) imaging, the prevalence of RA-BR was 22.6% (95%CI 16.8-29.0%) using random effects. When only considering retrospective studies (n = 12), the pooled prevalence of RA-BR among RA was 15.5% (95%CI 7.5-25.5%); among prospective studies (n = 24), the pooled prevalence was 20.7% (95% CI 14.7-27.4%). Risk factors for RA-BR included older age, longer RA duration, genetics (CFTR and HLA), and undetectable circulating mannose binding lectin (MBL) as a biomarker.

CONCLUSION

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the prevalence of RA-BR was nearly 20% among studies with HRCT imaging, suggesting that bronchiectasis may be a common extra-articular feature of RA. Relatively few factors have been associated with RA-BR. Future studies should standardize methods to identify RA-BR cases and investigate the natural history and clinical course given the relatively high prevalence among RA.

A retrospective comparison of respiratory events with JAK inhibitors or rituximab for rheumatoid arthritis in patients with pulmonary disease

Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi) are an exciting option for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) but little is known about their safety and tolerability in patients with existing respiratory disorders. The objective was to compare pulmonary safety of JAKi versus rituximab in patients with concurrent interstitial lung disease (ILD) or bronchiectasis. We performed a retrospective electronic patient record review of patients with known ILD or bronchiectasis commencing JAKi or rituximab for the treatment of RA. Patients initiating treatment from January 2016 to February 2020 were included. Respiratory events (hospitalization or death from a respiratory cause) were compared using Kaplan–Meier survival analysis. We analysed patients who received JAKi (n = 28) and rituximab (n = 19) for a mean (SD) of 1.1 (0.62) and 2.14 (1) years respectively. Patients were predominantly female (68%), anti-CCP antibody positive (94%) and non-smoking (89%) with a median (IQR) percentage predicted FVC at baseline of 100% (82–115%) and percentage predicted TL_CO of 62% (54.5–68%). Respiratory events occurred in five patients treated with JAKi (18%; 5 hospitalizations, 2 deaths) and in four patients treated with rituximab (21%; 3 hospitalizations, 1 death). Respiratory event rates did not differ between groups (Cox-regression proportional hazard ratio = 1.38, 95% CI 0.36–5.28; p = 0.64). In this retrospective study, JAKi for the treatment of RA with existing ILD or bronchiectasis did not increase the rate of hospitalization or death due to respiratory causes compared to those treated with rituximab. JAK inhibition may provide a relatively safe option for RA in such patients.

Rheumatoid arthritis-related lung disease detected on clinical chest computed tomography imaging: Prevalence, risk factors, and impact on mortality

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to determine the real-world prevalence and investigate risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-related lung disease on chest computed tomography (CT) imaging. We also investigated the impact of RA-related lung disease on mortality.

METHODS

We studied chest CT imaging abnormalities among RA patients. We determined the presence and type of abnormalities using the chest CT imaging radiologic report. RA-related lung disease was defined as interstitial lung disease (ILD), bronchiectasis, or pleural disease. We examined whether demographics and RA characteristics were associated with RA-related lung disease using logistic regression. RA-related lung disease and mortality was described using survival curves and Cox regression.

RESULTS

We analyzed 190 patients who had chest CT imaging performed for clinical indications. Mean age was 64.2 years (SD 11.8), 80.0% were female, and 75.3% were seropositive. RA-related lung disease was detected in 54 patients (28.4%); 30 (15.8%) had ILD, 27 (14.2%) had bronchiectasis, and 18 (9.5%) had pleural disease. RA-related lung disease was reported in both seropositive and seronegative RA (28.7% vs. 27.7%, p = 1.00). Male sex (OR 2.62, 95%CI 1.17-5.88) and current methotrexate use (OR 2.73, 95%CI 1.27-5.61 vs. not current) were associated with RA-related lung disease. Twenty-four (44.4%) patients with RA-related lung disease died during mean 7.0 years of follow-up. RA-related lung disease had HR of 5.35 (95%CI 0.72-39.9) for mortality compared to normal chest CT.

CONCLUSIONS

In this real-world study, RA-related lung disease was commonly detected on chest CT imaging regardless of RA serostatus. RA-related lung disease had high mortality, emphasizing the importance in close monitoring of these patients.