Pericardial and lung involvement in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), suspect
ed to be less severe in a developing nation (Turkey), have been evalua
ted. We have studied clinical, echocardiographic and pulmonary finding
s (radiological and functional) in 93 consecutive Turkish patients wit
h definite/classical RA. Findings were compared with those or a group
of patients with osteoarthritis or local rheumatological conditions (n
= 60) in a blind protocol. Fifty patients with systemic lupus (SLE) w
ere studied as a high risk control group for pericardial involvement.
While pericardial disease was detected in 5.5% (5/90) of RA patients,
it was detected in 6.6% (4/60) of the control patients. SLE patients h
ad a 26% (13/50) prevalence. Interstitial lung disease was found in 27
.7% of RA patients but it was present in 6.6% (4/60) of the control pa
tients. We observed that a group of patients with RA in Turkey had a l
ow prevalence of pericardial disease. This is further evidence that RA
has a mild course in developing countries.