Effect of targeted therapies on pulmonary function in rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors' conclusion
bDMARDs and tsDMARDs appear to stabilise pulmonary function in RA-ILD, without significant differences between agents.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with RA-associated ILD (RA-ILD) (1987 ACR or 2010 ACR/EULAR criteria) treated with biologic Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (bDMARDs) or tsDMARDs; mean age 65 years; 57% female
- Participants
- 958 patients18 observational studies
- Comparison
- Change in pulmonary function after b/tsDMARD treatment
- Outcome
- Longitudinal change in FVC and DLCO (pulmonary function test (PFT) parameters)
Methodological detailsinverse variance method, PubMed and Cochrane searched up to 2025; meta-analysis in RevMan V.5.4.1
- Inverse variance method
- PubMed and Cochrane searched up to 2025; meta-analysis in RevMan V.5.4.1
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
Overall change in FVC after b/tsDMARD treatment (pooled)
- Pooled analysis: no significant overall change in FVC, mean difference
- −0.85%
- 95% CI
- −2.40 to 0.71
- P
- p=0.29
Further pooled results
Overall change in DLCO after b/tsDMARD treatment (pooled)
- Pooled analysis: no significant overall change in DLCO
- +0.79
- 95% CI
- −0.30 to 1.88
- P
- P = 0.16
Original publication
Effect of targeted therapies on pulmonary function in rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. RMD Open. Published 19 March 2026. doi:10.
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