[Bronchial dilatation and rheumatoid arthritis: a little known association]

Since Ellmann's description in 1948 numerous authors have studied the respiratory manifestations associated with rheumatoid arthritis. Amongst the numerous disorders described, dilatation of the bronchi, although one of the most frequent, remains largely under-estimated. The authors report a series of 21 patients presenting jointly with both rheumatoid arthritis and bronchiectasis which was documented using thoracic computed scanning. All the subjects were female. For 20 of these patients, the appearance of bronchial suppuration preceded that of the articular manifestations by several years. Bronchial dilatation in these cases can, only with difficulty, be considered as a complication of arthritis as has been previously suggested. Rather it appears as a possible pre-disposing factor in the occurrence of the rheumatoid disease. These hypotheses explain the pathophysiological mechanisms implicated in this association are discussed.