Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2021 Oct 4;27(3):10.7196/AJTCCM.2021.v27i3.116.
doi: 10.7196/AJTCCM.2021.v27i3.116. eCollection 2021.

Pulmonary nodules associated with JAK inhibitor therapy in rheumatoid arthritis: A case report

Affiliations
Case Reports

Pulmonary nodules associated with JAK inhibitor therapy in rheumatoid arthritis: A case report

N Pannell et al. Afr J Thorac Crit Care Med. .

Abstract

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may receive Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors to achieve optimal control of their disease. We report a case of a patient who received a selective JAK1 inhibitor and subsequently developed multiple pulmonary nodules with cavitation. Biopsies confirmed the presence of cryptococcosis and the patient responded well to anti-fungal therapy.

Keywords: Janus kinase inhibitors; opportunistic infections.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: None.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Initial (A) and repeat (B) chest radiograph.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Computed tomography scan of the chest.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
A photomicrograph of an H & E stain lung showing necrotising granulomatous inflammation and fibrous thickening of the pleura (A), 20× magnification. A photomicrograph of a section stained with Alcian Blue and PAS (ABPAS) showing fungal elements with morphological features of Cryptococcus (B).
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Repeat chest radiograph (A) and computed tomography images 6 months after initiation of therapy (B).

References

    1. Huang F, Luo Z. Adverse drug events associated with 5 mg v. 10 mg tofacitinib (Janus kinase inhibitor) twice daily for the treatment of autoimmune diseases: A systemic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Clin Rheumatol. 2019;38(2):523–534. doi: 10.1007/s10067-018-4299-4. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Cohen S. Promise and pitfalls of kinase inhibitors for rheumatoid arthritis. Int J Clin Rheumatol. 2012;7(4):413–423.
    1. Wysham NG, Sullivan DR, Allada G. An opportunistic infection associated with ruxolitinib, a novel Janus kinase inhibitor. Chest. 2013;143(5):1478–1479. doi: 10.1378/chest.12-1604. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jarvis JN, Harrison TS. Pulmonary cryptococcosis. Semin Respir Crit Care Med. 2008;29(2):141–150. doi: 10.1055/s-2008-1063853. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Zhang Y, Li N, Zhang Y, et al. Clinical analysis of 76 patients pathologically diagnosed with pulmonary cryptococcosis. Eur Respir J. 2012;40(5):1191–1200. doi: 10.1183/09031936.00168011. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources