PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - M J McMahon
AU  - D R Swinson
AU  - S Shettar
AU  - R Wolstenholme
AU  - C Chattopadhyay
AU  - P Smith
AU  - P Johns
AU  - N H Crosby
TI  - Bronchiectasis and rheumatoid arthritis: a clinical study.
AID  - 10.1136/ard.52.11.776
DP  - 1993 Nov 01
TA  - Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
PG  - 776--779
VI  - 52
IP  - 11
4099  - http://ard.bmj.com/content/52/11/776.short
4100  - http://ard.bmj.com/content/52/11/776.full
SO  - Ann Rheum Dis1993 Nov 01; 52
AB  - OBJECTIVES--To examine the relation between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and bronchiectasis (BR). METHODS--Disease activity, outcome, extra-articular manifestations, and laboratory features were compared in 32 patients with BR and RA (RA-BR group), 32 matched patients with RA without BR (RA group), and 31 patients with BR but without arthritis (BR group). RESULTS--In 30 of the 32 (94%) patients with RA-BR, BR preceded RA. There was no functional or radiological difference between the RA-BR and RA groups, and except for xerophthalmia, which was more common in patients with RA-BR than patients with RA, there was no difference in extra-articular or laboratory features. CONCLUSIONS--Bronchiectasis does not lead to a more aggressive disease course in RA and, despite the recognised association, BR is not an extra-articular manifestation of rheumatoid disease.