Association of rheumatoid arthritis with bronchial asthma and asthma-related comorbidities: A population-based national surveillance study

Jung Gon Kim; Jiyeon Kang; Joo-Hyun Lee; Hyeon-Kyoung Koo

doi:10.3389/fmed.2023.1006290

Association of rheumatoid arthritis with bronchial asthma and asthma-related comorbidities: A population-based national surveillance study

Front Med (Lausanne). 2023 Mar 10:10:1006290. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1006290. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Jung Gon Kim¹, Jiyeon Kang², Joo-Hyun Lee¹, Hyeon-Kyoung Koo²

Affiliations

¹ Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Ilsan Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Goyang-si, Republic of Korea.
² Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Ilsan Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Goyang-si, Republic of Korea.

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on the prevalence of bronchial asthma and asthma-related comorbidities. We also aimed to identify the influence of RA on interrelationship between asthma and asthma-related comorbidities.

Methods: From the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, participants >40 years of age who completed questionnaires and spirometry tests were enrolled. Patient data on RA, asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), sinusitis, otitis media, and body mass index (BMI) were collected. Logistic regression and network analyses were performed.

Results: A total of 14,272 subjects were enrolled, among which, 334 (2.4%) had RA. RA was significantly associated with asthma (OR 2.32; 95% CI 1.51-3.57), allergic rhinitis (OR 1.51; 95% CI 1.08-2.10), and sinusitis (OR 1.64; 95% CI 1.08-2.50). The network analysis of total patients revealed a positive interrelationship between asthma and allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, otitis media, atopic dermatitis, BMI, and RA. The interrelationship between asthma and sinusitis was stronger in the RA group. Of note, the relationship between asthma and BMI was distinctively found only in the RA group (r = 0.214, P < 0.05). In patients with asthma, the prevalence of obesity was 64% in the presence of RA, and 40% in the absence of RA (P = 0.034).

Conclusion: This study supports the positive association of RA with asthma, allergic rhinitis, and sinusitis. Our analysis suggests a notable interrelationship between the presence of asthma and higher BMI values in patients with RA, indicating that asthma is more obesity-related in patients with RA.

Keywords: allergy; asthma; obesity; rheumatoid arthritis; sinusitis.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NIRF) grant funded by the Korean Government (MIST: No. 2021R1G1A1095110). The funding bodies played no role in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and writing of the manuscript.