Rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease: screening, diagnosis, and treatment-an expert group consensus statement.

Abstract

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a common and morbid complication of rheumatoid arthritis. Despite its prevalence and impact on patients, there is no agreement on how to screen for rheumatoid arthritis-associated ILD, when to initiate treatment, and the optimal treatment regimen. Due to a scarcity of high-quality studies to guide strict evidence-based guidelines, a multidisciplinary group of rheumatoid arthritis-associated ILD experts was convened to discuss the current body of evidence, synthesise the evidence qualitatively, and provide clinically useful consensus statements pertaining to the risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis-associated ILD, screening for ILD in rheumatoid arthritis, and the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis-associated ILD. These statements are meant to guide clinicians caring for patients with rheumatoid arthritis at risk for ILD and those with established rheumatoid arthritis-associated ILD to facilitate a timely diagnosis, ongoing monitoring of disease progression, and initiation of treatment when appropriate.