To determine the prevalence of lung involvement and the spectrum of abnormalities revealed on HRCT in patients with AS, a\r\nsystematic literature review was conducted in theMedline database up toMay 2009 and in the abstracts of rheumatology scientific\r\nmeetings (2006ââ?¬â??2008). A hand search of references was also performed. Among the 264 selected articles, 10 articles (303 patients)\r\nallowed a calculation of the prevalence of lung abnormalities on thoracic HRCT in AS. A total of 185 patients (61%) had an\r\nabnormal thoracic HRCT: upper lobe fibrosis in 21 (6.9%), emphysema in 55 (18.1%), bronchiectasis in 33 (10.8%), and ground\r\nglass attenuation in 34 (11.2%). Non specific interstitial abnormalities were observed in 101 (33%) patients. The most common\r\nobserved abnormalities were pleural thickening (52%), parenchymal bands (45%) and interlobular septal thickening (30%). Only\r\nthe prevalence of upper lobe fibrosis increased significantly with disease duration (3 studies). Mild and non-specific interstitial\r\nabnormalities on thoracic HRCT are common in patients with AS, even in patients with early disease and without respiratory\r\nsymptoms.
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