Aryeh and Paul have created a unique volume that should be a reference standard for years to come regarding disease description, pathogenesis, and treatment of the pulmonary associations and complications of our rheumatic disease patients. The literature is reviewed carefully and the recommendations from the various article writers are clear, well thought-out, and evidence-based. For many years, the lung-associated conditions related to our diseases were relegated to the backwaters of investigation, surviving in the literature as only descriptions of late-stage complications or even curiosities without pathologic significance. Now that many of our diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, in particular) are diagnosed at an early stage and clearly treated more effectively, the paradoxical effect is that pulmonary complications have become more prominent clinically, especially regarding outcome. Increased safety for obtaining lung tissue for direct examination as well as advanced imaging techniques made available everywhere has enabled many of these advances. In addition, since the lung is one of the major portals of entry for potential environmental triggers of rheumatic diseases, recent investigations are now focusing on the lung for early mucosal dysregulation effects that perpetuate the chronicity of our diseases. This volume covers much of these issues for the clinician, investigator, student, resident, and fellow. Read all about it.
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