Rheumatoid arthritis: Can it affect the lungs?

Although rheumatoid arthritis primarily affects the joints and surrounding tissues, it can also affect the lungs. The most common lung problems associated with rheumatoid arthritis include:

• Painful breathing. Rheumatoid arthritis can cause inflammation of the lining of the lungs (pleurisy). The inflammation can cause sharp pain while breathing.
• Shortness of breath. Fluid due to inflammation may accumulate around the lungs (pleural effusion). This accumulation can cause shortness of breath.
• Lung nodules. Small lumps may form in the lungs (rheumatoid nodules), as well as in other parts of the body. Lung nodules usually cause no signs or symptoms, and they don't pose a risk of lung cancer.
• Scarring of the lungs. Rheumatoid arthritis can lead to scarring of the connective tissue that supports the air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs (pulmonary fibrosis). The primary signs and symptoms include shortness of breath, chronic dry cough, fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite and rapid weight loss.
• Scarring of the small airways in the lungs. Some rheumatoid arthritis medications can cause scarring of the small airways in the lungs (bronchiolitis obliterans). This can lead to difficulty breathing.

Contact your doctor promptly if you have rheumatoid arthritis and experience any unexplained breathing problems. Sometimes treatment is aimed at the underlying rheumatoid arthritis. In other cases, treatment involves medication to suppress the immune system or a procedure to remove fluid from the lungs.