[The function of the bronchial system in patients with rheumatoid arthritis]

The authors studied the functional indices of the bronchopulmonary system in 23 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The vital capacity of the lungs (VCL), indices of bronchial patency: relation of the forced exhalation volume during the 1st second to VCL (FEV/VCL), the rate of the air flow of the forced exhalation when recording the curve the flow-volume (FEV)--peak (Vpeak), the rate in decreasing lung volumes, in 25, 50 and 75% of the whole volume of the forced exhalation (V25, V50, V75). VCL was not decreased in any of the cases, FEV1/VCL comprised 80.04 +/- 44%, Vpeak--110.30 +/- 3.30% of the norm. On the basis of these data a conclusion was made that the patency of the major bronchi was normal. V75 was decreased in 13 out of 23 patients; on the average it comprised 73.78 +/- 4.96% of the norm that significantly differs from the results obtained in healthy individuals (87.1 +/- 1.96 of the norm). An isolated decrease in terminal rates of FEV indicates the reduction of the patency of the minor respiratory ducts. A decrease in V75 was observed more often and was the more marked the longer the duration of the disease. There are no distinct connections between the pathological changes in the minor bronchi condition and the indices of the activity of the inflammatory process and humoral immunity: ESR the level of total protein, alpha 2-globulins, gamma-globulins, rheumatoid factor, circulating immune complexes.