TY - JOUR
T1 - Detecting respiratory impairment in newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis by MRC dyspnoea scale and microfibrillar-associated protein 4
AU - Sofiudottir, Bjørk K.
AU - Möller, Sören
AU - Christensen, Robin
AU - Harders, Stefan
AU - Sørensen, Grith L.
AU - Blegvad, Jesper
AU - Herly, Mette
AU - Masic, Dzenan
AU - Urbonaviciene, Grazina
AU - Andersen, Frank
AU - Isaksen, Christin
AU - Løgstrup, Brian Bridal
AU - Hyldgaard, Charlotte
AU - Ellingsen, Torkell
PY - 2025
Y1 - 2025
N2 - Objectives: To evaluate the Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnoea scale and serum Microfibrillar-associated protein 4 (MFAP4) levels for the detection of respiratory impairment in newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: Patients underwent blood tests, pulmonary function tests (PFT) and dyspnoea assessment using the MRC scale. Respiratory impairment was defined as a diffusion capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO) <80% predicted or FEV1/FVC <70%. The primary outcomes were the MRC and MFAP4’s sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: One hundred and thirty-one patients had available baseline tests. Mean age was 57.7 years (SD: 10.9), 61% were female, and 45% had respiratory impairment. For MRC score ≥ 2, the sensitivity was 39.0% (95% CI 26.5; 52.6), specificity 76.4% (95% CI 64.9; 85.6), and DOR 2.07 (95% CI 0.97; 4.40). For MFAP4 > 29.0 U/mL, the sensitivity was 62.7% (95% CI 49.1; 75.0), specificity 56.9% (95% CI 44.7; 68.6), and DOR 2.22 (95% CI 1.10; 4.50). The DOR was 3.01 (95% CI 1.27; 7.16) for MFAP4 detecting respiratory impairment when adjusted for age, sex and smoking status. Conclusion: The MRC dyspnoea score and unadjusted MFAP4 levels were poor predictors of respiratory impairment in patients with early treatment-naïve rheumatoid arthritis.
AB - Objectives: To evaluate the Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnoea scale and serum Microfibrillar-associated protein 4 (MFAP4) levels for the detection of respiratory impairment in newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: Patients underwent blood tests, pulmonary function tests (PFT) and dyspnoea assessment using the MRC scale. Respiratory impairment was defined as a diffusion capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO) <80% predicted or FEV1/FVC <70%. The primary outcomes were the MRC and MFAP4’s sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: One hundred and thirty-one patients had available baseline tests. Mean age was 57.7 years (SD: 10.9), 61% were female, and 45% had respiratory impairment. For MRC score ≥ 2, the sensitivity was 39.0% (95% CI 26.5; 52.6), specificity 76.4% (95% CI 64.9; 85.6), and DOR 2.07 (95% CI 0.97; 4.40). For MFAP4 > 29.0 U/mL, the sensitivity was 62.7% (95% CI 49.1; 75.0), specificity 56.9% (95% CI 44.7; 68.6), and DOR 2.22 (95% CI 1.10; 4.50). The DOR was 3.01 (95% CI 1.27; 7.16) for MFAP4 detecting respiratory impairment when adjusted for age, sex and smoking status. Conclusion: The MRC dyspnoea score and unadjusted MFAP4 levels were poor predictors of respiratory impairment in patients with early treatment-naïve rheumatoid arthritis.
KW - Early detection
KW - MFAP4
KW - MRC
KW - respiratory impairment
KW - Rheumatoid arthritis
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85215508655
U2 - 10.1080/20018525.2024.2449270
DO - 10.1080/20018525.2024.2449270
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 39839254
AN - SCOPUS:85215508655
SN - 2001-8525
VL - 12
JO - European Clinical Respiratory Journal
JF - European Clinical Respiratory Journal
IS - 1
M1 - 2449270
ER -