Participate in Research at CU Anschutz

In this study, we plan to learn about the causes of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and about lung disease in RA. RA is an autoimmune disease that can cause arthritis, and in some people, RA can also be related to lung disease called ‘interstitial lung disease’ (or ILD).

This study involves blood tests, sputum collection, physical exams, and questionnaires; it may also involve pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and a high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scan of your lungs. PFTs involve breathing into a tube to determine any lung abnormalities while HRCTs are done to scan your lungs to find any traces of inflammation. To collect the sputum, we will have you inhale aerosolized salt-water for 15 minutes to loosen up mucus in your airways, then have you cough your sputum into a collection cup.