Pulmonary complications of infliximab therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Abstract

We describe 5 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who developed pulmonary complications following infliximab therapy; 4 patients had preexisting usual interstitial pneumonia. As the pathophysiology of the pulmonary insult is unknown, we advise caution in the use of anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha therapy in patients with RA with underlying lung disease of sufficient severity to withhold methotrexate treatment.