Do rheumatoid arthritis drugs sometimes damage the lung?

Yes: Some of the drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis can cause damage to lungs. The most common would be the drug methotrexate. This drug requires lung function monitoring with breathing tests/xrays because it can inflame the lungs (pneumonitis) or cause scarring of the lungs (fibrosis). Other drugs for rheumatoid cause problems less significant.

YES: Methotrexate has ben implicated in causing lung damage. It is often difficult to make a determination as RA also causes lung disease as nodules, effusions, and interstitial lung disease. Some RA biologics are also associated with a risk for tuberculosis and other infections in selected RA pts.