Rheumatoid arthritis causing diffuse alveolar haemorrhage: a novel therapeutic approach

Pulmonary vascular involvement due to rheumatoid arthritis, presenting as diffuse alveolar haemorrhage (DAH), is a rare phenomenon, especially if there are no signs of systemic vasculitides. Furthermore, how to proceed with the management of these patients is challenging, as in the case of our patient, who had recurrent DAH. We present a case of a patient with known rheumatoid arthritis who had recurrence of DAH that spanned over several years, often presenting with life-threatening respiratory failure. While her DAH presentation improved with high-dose glucocorticoids, to resolve her recurrence, we opted to initiate treatment with rituximab, with a short course of azathioprine. After the second round of rituximab, the patient continues to do well without any further DAH-related complications. We also summarise prior cases of such patients to highlight variable treatment options.

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