Lung-nontumor - Rheumatoid lung disease

Home Chapter Home Jobs Conferences Fellowships Books

Lung-nontumor

Other non-neoplastic disease

Rheumatoid lung disease

Reviewers: Elliot Weisenberg, M.D. (see Reviewers page)
Revised: 19 December 2011, last major update December 2011
Copyright: (c) 2003-2011, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.

General
=========================================================================

● Variable presentation of chronic pleuritis, effusion, diffuse interstitial fibrosis, intrapulmonary rheumatoid nodules, rheumatoid nodules with pneumoconiosis (Caplan’s syndrome), pulmonary hypertension, bronchiolitis obliterans, amyloidosis and vasculitis
● Note: 30% with rheumatoid arthritis have abnormal pulmonary function
● Rheumatoid nodules are associated with active joint disease and elevated titers of rheumatoid factor

Treatment
=========================================================================

● Steroids (thus, must first rule out an infectious process)

Gross description
=========================================================================

● Pleural fibrosis, rheumatoid nodules and pneumonia

Gross images
=========================================================================

Rheumatoid nodules

Micro description
=========================================================================

● Rheumatoid granuloma usually in lung periphery near pleura
● Round with zone of pallisading histiocytes perpendicular to necrobiotic center
● Adjacent vasculitis
● Nodules have carbon and silica within the necrotic center in Caplan’s syndrome

Micro images
=========================================================================

Nodules with central necrosis and pallisading histiocytes

Vasculitis

Differential diagnosis
=========================================================================

● Wegener’s granulomatosis

End of Lung-nontumor > Other non-neoplastic disease > Rheumatoid lung disease

This information is intended for physicians and related personnel, who understand that medical information is often imperfect, and must be interpreted in the context of a patient's clinical data using reasonable medical judgment. This website should not be used as a substitute for the advice of a licensed physician.

All information on this website is protected by copyright of PathologyOutlines.com, Inc. Information from third parties may also be protected by copyright. Please contact us at copyrightPathOut@gmail.com with any questions (click here for other contact information).