Bronchocentric granulomatosis in rheumatoid arthritis: case report and literature review.

Bronchocentric granulomatosis (BcG) is characterized by granulomatous destruction of bronchial or bronchiolar walls and adjacent parenchyma, with debris and exudates filling the airway lumen. Approximately 50% of total cases have been associated with asthma and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, while it has been rarely reported in the context of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We describe the case of a 69-year-old female RA patient with BcG presenting as a solitary cavitary pulmonary mass. In addition, we conducted a literature review about the clinical and imaging features of BcG in RA patients. A chronically immunosuppressed 69-year-old female patient with a 16-year history of RA presented with constitutional symptoms (low-grade fever, excessive sweating and malaise) and a sizeable cavitary lung lesion. Open lung biopsy was performed and histopathological findings were consistent with the diagnosis of BcG. Other seven cases of BcG have been previously reported in the context of RA, with clinical and laboratory characteristics described in five of them. Overall, pulmonary nodules or masses were the most frequent imaging finding of BcG, while no clear relationship with disease activity or previous treatment modalities could be established. Surgical resection followed by administration of oral steroids was effective for achieving complete remission of symptoms and radiological stability in most cases.

Social support and quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in Greece.

OBJECTIVES: Previous research suggests that social support has beneficial effects for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Yet, recent studies suggest that sociocultural differences have implications for whether or not the individuals use social support to cope with stressful events. Given the stressful nature of a chronic disabling disease, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the association of structural and functional facets of social support with quality of life (QoL) in Greek RA patients. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, 127 Greek RA patients completed the Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality of Life questionnaire (RAQoL), the Patient Activity Scale-II (PAS-II), the Quality of Social Support Scale (QSSS), the Social Network Index (measuring social network size and number of social roles) and a visual analogue scale measuring reciprocity. RESULTS: Patients' age, social network size and reciprocity had no significant correlation with QoL. Family income, education level and male gender were positively correlated with QoL. Number of social roles was positively correlated with QoL, but not significantly when disease activity and demographic factors were controlled. Quality of social support was positively correlated with QoL, and the correlation remained statistically significant after controlling for disease activity, demographic variables and number of social roles. CONCLUSIONS: In Greek RA patients, quality of social support predicts quality of life above and beyond disease activity, demographic factors and social integration. Structural aspects of social support were not significant predictors of QoL, in line with previous research on cultural differences in how people utilise their social networks.