Incidence and mortality of interstitial lung disease in rheumatoid arthritis: A population‐based study

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) has been recognized as an important comorbidity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We undertook the current study to assess incidence, predictors, and mortality of RA-associated ILD.

We examined a population-based incidence cohort of patients with RA and a matched cohort of individuals without RA. All subjects were followed up longitudinally. The lifetime risk of ILD was estimated. Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare the incidence of ILD between cohorts, to investigate predictors, and to explore the impact of ILD on survival.