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Is there utility of modifying DMARD treatment in a seropositive rheumatoid arthritis patient with recurrent pleural effusions and RA nodules without other signs of active disease?

2 Answers
Mednet MemberInvited Expert
Rheumatology · Washington University Physicians
Answered on

Modifying DMARD treatment in a seropositive RA patient without active articular disease may be useful when the patient has symptomatic noninfectious recurrent pleural effusions that are exudative requiring repetitive thoracentesis, frequent courses of systemic or intrapleural corticosteroids. Rheumatoid nodules are frequently concurrent. The underlying histopathology of pleural biopsies shows similarities to rheumatoid synovitis with palisading histiocytic spindle cells and multinucleated giant ...

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Mednet Member
Rheumatology · Wright State University
Answered on

If a patient with Rheumatoid Arthritis on DMARDS is having recurrent pleural effusions, I find adding a TNF inhibitor stops that.

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