Legionnaires' disease in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis treated with cyclosporine.

Abstract

We report a patient with long-standing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with cyclosporine A; she developed a flare of her arthritis and evidence of vasculitis, cavitary pulmonary disease, nephritis and hepatitis, and was found to have Legionella pneumophila serotype I infection. Cyclosporine is a relatively new and investigational therapy in RA. Thus, it is important that any unusual complications in patients with RA treated with cyclosporine should be documented.