The most frequent cause of death in patients with rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease and also those with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is acute exacerbation, researchers reported.
The prognosis after acute exacerbation was significantly better in patients with rheumatoid arthritis-ILD compared with those with IPF, according to results published in Respiratory Medicine.
“In Japan, malignancy and respiratory disease are major causes of death in rheumatoid arthritis patients,” Junji Otsuka, MD, PhD, from the department of respiratory medicine at the National