Rheumatoid Arthritis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Rheumatoid Arthritis, including details on treatment, symptoms, causes, medication.

Improvement of refractory rheumatoid arthritis-associated constrictive bronchiolitis with etanercept.

Cortot AB, Cottin V, Miossec P, Fauchon E, Thivolet-Béjui F, Cordier JF

Service de Pneumologie-Centre des Maladies Orphelines Pulmonaires, Hôpital Cardiovasculaire et Pneumologique Louis Pradel-Université Claude Bernard-UMR 754, 69677 Lyon, France.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-associated constrictive bronchiolitis is a severe condition with no established efficient treatment. A 55-year-old woman with seropositive RA developed rapidly progressive constrictive bronchiolitis confirmed by lung biopsy. Her clinical condition worsened despite steroids and azathioprine. Treatment with etanercept-a tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha inhibitor-combined with methotrexate, resulted in a marked improvement of both her clinical condition and pulmonary function tests. Treatment with TNF-alpha inhibitors and methotrexate may be proposed in RA-associated constrictive bronchiolitis, a severe condition hitherto not amenable to improvement.

Published 14 March 2005 in Respir Med, 99(4): 511-4.
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