Liver disease in rheumatoid arthritis

Patients with active rheumatoid arthritis frequently have hepatosplenomegaly and biochemical features of hepatic disease. A prospective study with liver biopsy has been carried out in a series of 31 rheumatoid arthritis patients with clinical and/or biochemical evidence of hepatic dysfunction. Four of the 31 (13%) were found to have definable chronic liver disease, normal hepatic histology or non-specific reactive changes being found in the remainder. In the large majority of patients the hepatic abnormality in rheumatoid arthritis remains functional and unexplained.