Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41199312›Full record

Observational studyArthritis research & therapy2025

Screening for rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease using low-dose CT: an emerging approach - an observational prospective case-control study.

Kinga Fritsch, Judit Majnik, Michal Tomčík, Janos Gyebnar, Tamas Munkacsi, Hanna Balogh, Tamas Purczel, Pal Maurovich-Horvat, Tamas Nagy, Alexandra Nagy and 3 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract readObservational Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in Arthritis research & therapy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05391100 (Screening of Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis for Interstitial Lung Disease With Radiographic and Labor Methods), which is not on this map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT05391100 recruitingnot on this map

Screening of Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis for Interstitial Lung Disease With Radiographic and Labor Methods

TypeobservationalSponsorPolyclinic of the Hospitaller Brothers of St. John of God, BudapestRan2022 to 2026Enrolled500ConditionsRheumatoid Arthritis, Interstitial Lung Disease
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Kinga FritschDepartment of Rheumatology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
Judit MajnikDepartment of Rheumatology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
Michal TomčíkInstitute of Rheumatology, Department of Rheumatology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
Janos GyebnarClinic for Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
Tamas MunkacsiClinic for Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
Hanna BaloghClinic for Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
Tamas PurczelClinic for Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
Pal Maurovich-HorvatClinic for Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
Tamas NagyDepartment of Pulmonology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
Alexandra NagyDepartment of Pulmonology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
Veronika MullerDepartment of Pulmonology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
Nikolett Marton *Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
Gyorgy Nagy *Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary. nagy.gyorgy2@semmelweis.hu.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD) is a major contributor to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) related morbidity and mortality. Early detection is challenging due to subclinical onset and limitations of conventional screening modalities. This study evaluated the diagnostic performance of low-dose photon-counting detector CT (LD PCD-CT) for RA-ILD and assessed its prevalence and risk factors in a Hungarian RA cohort.

methodsIn this prospective study (Feb 2022–June 2023), 492 consecutively enrolled RA patients without known ILD, underwent LD PCD-CT, digital chest radiography (DR) and pulmonary function testing (PFTs). Imaging was scored using a standardized LD severity scale. Clinical, demographic, and serological data were analyzed to identify ILD predictors. Statistical analyses included Kolmogorov–Smirnov, t-tests, Mann–Whitney U, chi-squared/Fisher’s exact tests, Pearson correlation, and ROC analysis. Logistic regression was used to identify independent risk factors.

resultsLD PCD-CT identified interstitial abnormalities in 35% of patients. By contrast, clinical assessment and PFTs detected abnormalities in only 44% and 22% of these cases, respectively. Among patients without CT-defined abnormalities, 42% had a positive clinical assessment and 23% had abnormal PFTs, indicating limited diagnostic specificity. The most frequent findings were interstitial reticular abnormalities (58%) and usual interstitial pneumonia (22%). Independent ILD predictors included age ≥ 50 years, male sex, ≥ 25 pack-year smoking history, rheumatoid factor (RF) positivity, and elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels. LD PCD-CT had a mean effective radiation dose of 0.415 mSv, remaining within low-dose diagnostic thresholds.

conclusionLD PCD-CT demonstrated superior sensitivity and specificity for early RA-ILD detection compared to clinical assessment and PFTs, while maintaining low radiation exposure. Incorporating LD PCD-CT into risk-stratified screening protocols may facilitate earlier diagnosis and timely therapeutic interventions, ultimately improving patient outcomes. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05391100.

Indexed as

Arthritis, RheumatoidLung Diseases, InterstitialTomography, X-Ray ComputedAdultAgedCase-Control StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedProspective StudiesRespiratory Function TestsRisk FactorsInterstitial lung diseaseLow-dose computed tomographyPhoton-counting detector computed tomographyPulmonary function testsRheumatoid arthritisRisk factorsScreening

Identifiers

PMID41199312
PMCPMC12593899

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.