Bronchiolitis and rheumatoid arthritis

An association between rheumatoid arthritis and bronchiolitis with symptomatic progressive airway obstruction has been previously reported. Abnormal sensitivity to airway inflammation has been postulated; however, there have been no reported cases of bronchiolitis and significant immunofluorescence findings on lung biopsy. We report here a patient with rheumatoid arthritis, acute bronchiolitis without obstructive airway disease, and linear deposition of immunoglobulin G in alveolar walls.