Progressive Interstitial Pulmonary Processes

Interstitial lung processes (ILD) are common yet insufficiently diagnosed complications of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), significantly increasing the morbidity and mortality of patients. ILD can occur at any stage of RA, presenting a diverse clinical picture. Usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) and nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) are the most common findings on high-resolution CT (HRCT). Some patients with RA-associated ILD may exhibit a progressive phenotype characterized by expanding fibrotic changes on HRCT, declining lung…