Impact of obstructive lung disease on survival in patients with rheumatoid arthritis related interstitial lung disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma are common comorbidities in rheumatoid arthritis related interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD), yet their impact on health outcomes is poorly understood. Using health services data from Ontario, Canada, we aimed to evaluate the effect of COPD, asthma and COPD/asthma overlap (ACO) on survival in patients with RA-ILD. Among 6470 RA-ILD patients 4437 (68.6%) had obstructive lung disease. COPD and ACO were associated with significantly increased mortality compared to RA-ILD with asthma and RA-ILD alone. These results highlight the burden and deleterious effects of COPD in patients with RA-ILD.